Forever (Part 1)
by Lexie Raven
Summary: Alex finds herself thrust into a world that she never knew existed. At the same time, National City's new mayor is pushing an anti-alien agenda that spells trouble for her sister. Crossover with Highlander: The Series. Semi-AU Season 2. Plenty of Sanvers (starting in Chapter 5), with hints of Supercorp.
1. Prologue

**Forever (Part 1)**

Disclaimer: Supergirl characters and concepts belong to Greg Berlanti & Co. Highlander characters and concepts belong to Panzer-Davis Productions. All other recognizable characters and concepts belong to DC Comics. The plot and all original characters are mine.

A/N: I'd hoped to get this out sooner, but I promise it's worth the wait! For those unfamiliar with Highlander, everything you need to know to understand this story will be explained as it becomes relevant (and anyone who has questions can PM me).

Plot-wise, this story is more or less canon up until 2x04, with some alterations. The biggest one is that, for purposes of this story, Alex's sexuality has never been in question. She may not be out to everyone in her life, but I figured that with all of the other changes set to happen, having a coming out story on top of that would be overkill. Hopefully I still do the Sanvers relationship justice.

There will be a few cameos from recognizable Highlander characters later on, but the crossover is mostly based on the concept. I also only consider the Highlander Series canon up until "The Modern Prometheus" (fans of the series will understand why), so I plan to hold to that (plus concepts from later episodes that fit my narrative), and any changes from 'official' canon can be explained by them being on Earth-38 (assuming the series took place on Earth-1).

I plan to update on Tuesdays and Fridays. Enjoy!

Prologue

"Alex, look out!"

At Supergirl's cry, Agent Danvers knocked out the Gordanian she'd been fighting – the DEO had responded to an alert about a small scouting party that had landed outside the city – just in time to see one of the Gordanians' Branx enforcers charging in her direction. She fired off a few shots, but they had little effect on the thick-skinned, four-armed alien. Next thing Alex knew, she was airborne and hurtling towards the side of the canyon they'd cornered the invaders in. She hit the stone with a sickening crack, and everything went dark….

" _Alex! Alex, wake up! Rao, please don't be dead…_ "

With a loud gasp, Alex surged back to consciousness to see her extremely worried sister kneeling next to her. Before she could even begin to get her bearings, Kara pulled her into a too-tight hug, only stopping when the elder Danvers grunted in pain. "Okay, okay," she muttered, nudging her sister back a bit to give herself some breathing room. "I'm fine, see?" Alex wasn't quite sure _how_ she'd managed to come out of that as unscathed as she appeared, but was too thankful for the apparent miracle to really question it.

Tears in her eyes, Kara threw her arms around Alex once more, sobbing into her big sister's shirt. "Rao, I thought you were dead. I couldn't hear your heartbeat for like 10 whole minutes."

"Maybe your hearing is on the fritz," Alex shrugged. Kara continued to cry, and she let it go on for a few more moments before gently pushing her baby sister back so she could look her in the eyes. "Look at me, Kara," she soothed, cupping the younger girl's cheeks. "I'm fine. It's gonna take a hell of a lot more than some alien thugs to put me down."

"I know what I heard, Lexie. Or didn't hear. Your heart stopped."

Shaking her head, the elder Danvers took Kara's hand and placed it on her chest. "Feel that?" Kara nodded. "It's still beating. If it had really stopped, I'd be on my way to the morgue instead of sitting here talking to you. Okay?" Another nod, though the younger Danvers didn't look completely convinced.

"Deputy Director!" someone called out. It took Alex a moment to remember her recent promotion.

"Over here!" She climbed back to her feet, then helped Kara up, wiping her sister's eyes with her thumb so that no one would see Supergirl crying. Luckily, the younger Danvers was able to compose herself by the time Vasquez reached their position. "What's up?"

"Ma'am, Director J'onzz is on the line. He wants an update." Vasquez held out an earpiece, at which point Alex realized that hers must have fallen out when she was thrown. She took it, but didn't put it in just yet.

"What's our status?"

"Prisoners are secured, and we have their ship as well. Agent Bennett and her team will be taking them to containment, and the rest of us are ready to head back to base when you are." After Myriad, their branch of the DEO moved its main operations to the facility located in downtown National City so they could keep a closer eye on things and be where Supergirl needed their help the most, and the desert base was now primarily used for holding their most dangerous alien prisoners.

Alex smiled. "Great work. You guys go on ahead. I'll update J'onn, and then Supergirl and I will catch up."

"Understood," Vasquez nodded, then frowned. "Are you sure you're alright, Ma'am? You took a pretty nasty blow from that Branx."

"I'm fine. Tell Bennett to get the would-be invaders into containment before they get any bright ideas, okay?"

"As you wish, Ma'am." Vasquez turned and left, and Alex slipped the new earpiece in, tapping it to pick up the line.

"J'onn?"

" _ **Are you alright, Alex? I've been getting reports that you were knocked unconscious…maybe even killed.**_ "

Alex sighed. "Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. I'm fine, in one piece, and ready to come back to base. Vasquez and the others are already on their way, and Bennett's team is taking the aliens and their ship to containment."

" _ **You could have given me that report on your way back with Agent Vasquez.**_ "

"I didn't want to deal with everyone hounding me about whether or not I'm really okay."

" _ **Well, you're going to have to deal with at least one more. Get back to base and report to Dr. Hamilton.**_ "

"I really don't see the need for that, J'onn. Like I said, I'm fine."

" _ **That's what you always say. Either let the doctor look you over, or be suspended from duty for the next week.**_ "

Alex's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious! You'd bench your Deputy Director for a week just because I don't want to be poked and prodded for no reason?"

" _ **I still have Lucy. Frankly, I'd rather spend a week one Deputy Director short than risk you collapsing because you're too stubborn to get checked out for a potentially serious injury. Are you getting this, Kara?**_ "

The Kryptonian nodded, giving her sister a rather pointed look. "Yes, Sir. I'll make sure she goes straight to the med bay when we get back to base."

"Traitor," Alex muttered.

" _ **You're not going to win this one, Alex. Report to the med bay, and I'll see both of you later for your debrief.**_ " The line went dead, and the elder Danvers glared at her sister, who glared right back.

"He's right," Kara insisted. "You say you're fine, but for all we know that's just adrenaline talking. What if you have a serious head injury? Or brain damage?"

Alex sighed. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope. You're lucky I didn't tell J'onn about your heart stopping."

"I still say you imagined that one."

"Maybe," Kara shrugged. "But I'd feel a hell of a lot better if we found out for sure." She shook her head. "I thought I'd lost you today, Lexie. If you won't do this for yourself, then do it for me…for my peace of mind. Please?" She gave Alex a pleading look that the elder Danvers simply couldn't say no to.

"Fine…for you. Care to provide air service?"

"Thought you'd never ask," the Kryptonian grinned, scooping her sister up and taking off before she could even think about changing her mind.

TBC (See you Tuesday!)


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A/N: Thanks for the follows and favorites! Really loved this week's Supergirl - especially the Sanvers (which is coming in this story soon - promise!) Anyway...I know the last chapter was a bit short, but hopefully this will make up for it. Enjoy!

* * *

With Kara flying as fast as she could safely manage while carrying someone, they actually beat the other agents back to base. And when they landed, the younger Danvers was quick to steer Alex towards the med bay, not giving her even a moment's opportunity to back out. "Got a patient for you, Doc," she announced the second they arrived.

Dr. Hamilton nodded. "So I hear." She looked at Alex. "Come on, Danvers…you know the drill."

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, trudging over to the exam table and hopping on. Once she was situated, the elder Danvers turned to her sister. "Why don't you go ahead and check in with J'onn?"

Kara shook her head, crossing her arms and sitting down on a stool near the doorway. "I'm staying right here until Dr. Hamilton assures me that you're okay."

"I'll see what I can do," the doctor nodded. She then proceeded to put Alex through every test and scan imaginable. When Dr. Hamilton finally ran out of things to poke and prod her with, she left the exam room to analyze the results. Kara was busy on the tablet she kept on base – probably with her latest assignment for _CatCo Magazine_ – so Alex pulled out her phone and played some random game while waiting for the doctor to return.

Finally, just as she was running out of ways to keep herself occupied without disturbing her sister, Dr. Hamilton walked back in. "What's up, Doc?"

The doctor rolled her eyes, clearly unamused by Alex's attempt at a joke. "You got lucky this time, Danvers. All of your tests came out normal, except for evidence of a mild concussion."

At that, Kara looked up from her work and frowned. "A concussion?"

" _Mild_ concussion," Dr. Hamilton corrected. She turned back to her patient. "I'd recommend staying out of the field for a few days, but I see no reason to pull you off duty. Just finish up whatever you have to do here today, then go home and get some rest."

Alex nodded, happy to have been proven right. It was a bit odd that the doctor wasn't instituting the usual concussion protocols, but she wasn't about to point that out. "I can do that. May I leave now?"

"I just need you to sign a few forms first. You know…the usual."

"Right." Of course there were forms to deal with. Ever since Myriad, it seemed Washington was taking more of an interest in their relatively tiny black-ops outfit. And increased scrutiny meant more paperwork. Dr. Hamilton handed her the tablet with the forms, and as she did Alex saw a small circular tattoo on her wrist that she'd never noticed before. "Nice ink."

"My one moment of teenage rebellion," the doctor shrugged, taking back the tablet once her patient finished. "You should probably get to your debrief now, before Director J'onzz sends out a search party."

"Yes, Ma'am." Alex tossed off a mock salute, then headed out of the med bay, grabbing Kara's arm as she passed and pulling her along. "See, Sis? Told ya I was fine."

"I don't call a concussion fine."

"It's just a mild one. Don't even need to take off work. You got all freaked out for nothing."

"I guess," Kara sighed. "Let's go find J'onn so we can get you home."

"Actually, I was kind of hoping we could do movie night at your place."

Another sigh. "You can come hang out if you want. In fact, that might be better with the concussion and all. But the movie part will have to be put on hold until I get somewhere with this assignment."

"Fair enough," Alex shrugged. The two made their way to J'onn's office and gave him their respective statements about the day's mission. And even though the doctor had given her a mostly-clean bill of health, the Director still insisted that she take the next day off. She agreed, but only because she was getting tired of arguing with everyone over the state of her health. Finally, J'onn declared the debriefing over and told them both to go home. He gave Alex a weird look as she left, but she figured it was just one of those Martian quirks she was still getting used to now that he didn't have to hide who he was on base. With nothing else left to do for the day, she and Kara both changed into civilian clothes. Normally, her sister did that at home, but she'd insisted on driving Alex to the loft (since people with concussions weren't supposed to operate heavy machinery) and doing so as Supergirl would raise a ton of red flags. Kara wasn't the best driver – she didn't even own a car – but she was competent enough to take the wheel when Alex wasn't in a position to do so herself for whatever reason.

After a mercifully uneventful drive back to Kara's loft, Alex took the liberty of ordering some pizza, then settled herself on the couch with a beer (ignoring her sister's admonition that concussions and alcohol didn't mix) to catch up on the latest episode of one of the few shows the two didn't agree on while the younger Danvers worked. Oddly, the beer wasn't affecting her at all. Her tolerance was pretty high, but she still should've felt _something_. And that wasn't the only weird thing. Alex hadn't said anything – mainly because she just wanted to get out of there – but she wasn't really convinced by the doctor's diagnosis. She'd had enough concussions to recognize the symptoms, and none of them were present this time. Not that she was complaining. It just seemed a bit strange for the highly competent Dr. Hamilton to diagnose her with something she clearly didn't have.

The pizzas arrived about halfway through her show, but it wasn't until _Scorpion_ 's teaser came on – promising another fun adventure for Walter and the gang next week – that Kara finally emerged from wherever she'd holed up to work. She plopped down on the couch next to Alex, briefly zapping the remaining pizza with her heat vision before grabbing a slice. "So…" the elder Danvers began, getting up to grab another beer along with something for her sister. "How's the assignment coming?" She handed Kara a bottle of her favorite soda, then sat back down and opened up her own drink.

Kara shook her head. "I'm starting to think this promotion was a bad idea."

"You survived Cat Grant. The new supervisor can't possibly be that bad."

"You do remember that he tried to fire me before I even started, right? And with Cat taking a leave of absence, there isn't really anyone left at work I can go to for advice." Alex watched her polish off two slices in quick succession, then pick up a third that she just sat staring at. "Honestly, I have no idea what Mr. Carr even wants from me. He flat-out refused to publish the Metallo piece, and he's found something wrong with almost everything else I've handed in since then. Okay, so he had a point about my first attempt at the Lena Luther piece, and actually let the rewrite be my first byline, and the look on Lena's face when she read the article was _so_ worth it, but still…."

"Want me to go kick his ass?" Alex offered, filing the oddly enthusiastic (even for her bright and bubbly sister) comment about Lena away for later.

Kara rolled her eyes, finishing the slice she was currently holding. "Is that your solution to everything?"

"Why not?" the elder Danvers shrugged. "It usually works."

"Somehow, I don't think Mr. Carr would respond well to the strong-arm tactics. He'd probably just be even harder on me than he already is – if that's even possible. If I could just figure out what I'm doing wrong…."

"Come here," Alex muttered, wrapping her arms around Kara and pulling her close. "You're not a bad writer, Kar. Not quite at Lois and Clark's level yet, but then again, you're just starting out. It's going to take time to become the type of reporter I'm sure you're imagining yourself as. I mean, your cousin didn't just walk into the _Planet_ and start getting the big bylines right away. He had to work his way up, and so do you. But you'll get there."

"Doesn't feel like it. Mr. Carr won't even give me a freaking chair." Shaking her head, Kara pulled away and polished off two more slices in record time.

Alex chuckled, grabbing a piece for herself before her sister finished it all. "I'm sure he's just busting your chops because he doesn't like Cat telling him who to hire. My training officer at the DEO did the same thing to me…didn't like some 'flaky party girl' being forced on him by J'onn. But I showed him just how wrong his assumptions were, and you can do the same thing with your new boss. You just have to give him a bit of that Supergirl confidence, like you did when you handed him that first piece."

"Maybe," she sighed, pushing the pizza box back and downing half of her soda before curling up against her big sister. Alex was a bit concerned about the diminished appetite – after all, Kara's seemingly-bottomless stomach was why she'd ordered two pizzas instead of just one – but she figured that, given everything that had happened today, the younger Danvers probably just needed her big sister more than food.

"Trust me," she assured Kara, finishing her own slice and wrapping an arm around her sister once more. "You'll be fine. Right now, I think you're just over-stressing yourself. You're freaking out because I had a bit of a close call, and you're throwing yourself into this assignment so you don't have to think about what could've happened."

"I do have a deadline to meet."

"Yeah," Alex shrugged. "But – unless this is a different assignment – it's not until Monday. You have the whole weekend to figure it out. So why don't you just put it aside for now, and let's talk about what's really bothering you."

"Nothing."

The elder Danvers' eyebrow shot up at the blatant lie. "Clearly, something's up. A simple assignment wouldn't be stressing you out this much, no matter how demanding your boss may be."

Kara shook her head, pulling away from her sister a bit. "I don't want to talk about it."

"But maybe you need to. We both know how badly it can turn out when we keep things bottled up."

"Fine," the younger Danvers sighed, twisting around to face Alex. "A couple of days ago, I had a talk with my mother's AI."

"Okay. What did you guys talk about?"

"Remember that comment Clark made about us aging more slowly than humans under the yellow sun?"

"Yeah," she shrugged. "So what? Dad figured that one out years ago."

"But did he ever work out just how slowly we age? Because according to the AI, the yellow sun doesn't just slow our aging process once we reach maturity, but brings it almost to a halt."

Alex nodded. "Makes sense. Don't remember reading that in any of Dad's papers, but maybe he didn't want to know. Though I'm not really sure why. Sounds like pretty good news to me."

"It sounded awesome at first…. until I realized it meant that Clark and I would probably outlive everyone we care about. And then seeing you get hurt earlier…hearing your heart actually stop…it reminded me just how mortal you are. I don't know if I could live in a world without you in it, Lexie." Tears were falling down Kara's cheeks, and Alex instinctively pulled her close again, letting the younger girl cry into her shirt.

"It's okay, kiddo," she soothed, gently stroking her sister's hair. "Maybe I can't promise you forever – no one can, really – but I swear I'll stick around for as long as humanly possible. Whatever it takes. And many years from now, when the end does finally come, I'll make sure you won't be alone." As she spoke, Alex mentally kicked herself for her earlier lack of sensitivity. Kara had already outlived one group of loved ones. The thought of doing so again had to be terrifying. "You know," she added softly, "whatever happens, you'll always have J'onn. I mean, he's over 300 years old. I doubt he's going anywhere anytime soon."

"Not the same."

"I know," Alex muttered. "On the other hand, just because you _might_ outlive everyone doesn't mean you will. You're not invincible. Look what almost happened with Myriad. Hearing you saying goodbye…telling me that you were going to fly out into space with no exit strategy…. It scared me to death. You're lucky I work well under pressure." She shook her head. "Point is, there are no guarantees for any of us."

Kara let out a slight chuckle. "Oddly, that actually makes me feel a bit better."

"Glad I could help." She gave her sister's shoulders another quick squeeze, then settled back onto the couch and took another swig of her beer. It still wasn't doing much for her, but that was a problem for another day. "So…got any plans for tomorrow?"

"You mean besides trying to figure out how to please my overly demanding new boss?" Shaking her head, Kara took what was left of the pizzas into the kitchen and returned with two pints of ice cream. She handed Alex the mint chocolate chip while keeping the cookie dough for herself. "If you must know," she shrugged, digging into her pint, "I have a date."

"I thought you ended things with James because you needed time to figure yourself out."

Kara nodded. "True."

"And yet you're going on a date. Why?"

"Does it matter?"

"It kind of does," Alex shot back, shoving a rather large spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. "You gave up a guy you'd been pining after for almost a year so that you could focus on this whole self-discovery thing, and suddenly you have time for romance again?"

"It's complicated," the younger Danvers muttered, shoving her pint towards Alex, who automatically swapped them.

"What happened?"

"The damned Daxamite."

"Mon-El? I thought you'd gotten over the whole anti-Daxamite bias thing."

"I had until he showed up at work and started getting a bit too familiar in front of James."

Alex frowned. "Familiar how?"

"Do I need to spell it out?"

"I'll fucking kill him," she growled, setting her ice cream aside before she wound up rupturing the container. "Did he…?"

Kara shook her head. "No, he didn't go that far. But James saw us, and now he thinks I dumped him to be with someone more like myself, and he's pissed. I tried to explain that Mon-El and I are barely even friends, but he wouldn't hear it. Told me not to bother him again unless it was work-related. I've hardly seen him all week."

"Wait…James turned his back on you a week ago and you didn't say anything? Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd be upset and I don't want James hurt…no matter how much of a jerk he's being at the moment."

The elder Danvers sighed again, reclaiming her ice cream and digging in. "You're too nice, Kar. If it were me I'd rip his fucking balls off and feed them to him."

"Wow," Kara cringed, setting her own ice cream aside. "No offense, Sis, but you've got issues."

"I just don't like seeing _you_ get hurt. Especially after months of watching you pine after that guy." She shook her head. "If you don't want me to hunt them both down and make them pay, I won't. But I make no promises if I happen to run James somewhere. And Mon-El had better steer clear if he knows what's fucking good for him."

"I guess I'll take what I can get." With a shrug, the younger Danvers picked her ice cream back up and dug in once more. "Netflix?"

"Why not?" Jamming her spoon into the cookie dough, Alex grabbed the remote and brought up the service. "So…just out of curiosity, how does this thing with James and Mon-El translate into you breaking your self-imposed moratorium on dating?" she asked as she scrolled through Kara's queue in search of something to watch.

"I don't know," Kara sighed. "I guess I just need a distraction from all of this craziness. And maybe the chance to connect with someone new."

"Makes sense, I suppose. So who is this mystery date?"

"You remember my friend Barbara from college?"

"Gordon? Sure. Didn't know she still swung that way."

"Not like that," Kara chuckled, lightly slapping her sister's shoulder. "A friend of hers from Bludhaven is going to be in National City for the weekend and she kind of set us up."

"And what friend would that be?"

"His name is Dick."

Alex snorted a bit at the name before remembering that she was supposed to be a mature adult. "A guy named Dick from Bludhaven? Would his last name be Grayson, by any chance?"

Kara's eyebrow shot up. "How did you know?"

"Please," she muttered, setting the remote down for a moment and taking another swig of beer. "I make it my business to know these things."

The eyebrow went up even higher. "You researched my friend's friends?"

"Barbara does happen to live in the most crime-ridden city in the country and associate with a certain billionaire from said city who spends his nights roaming the street in a bat costume. Can you blame me?" Alex finished off the beer and set the empty bottle next to the first. "Dick Grayson, aka Nightwing," she recited. "Former trapeze artist whose parents were murdered, after which he was adopted by Bruce Wayne. Spent the rest of his childhood as Batman's sidekick before leaving Gotham and striking out on his own."

"Is this a DEO thing? Or have you always been this nosy?"

"Just looking out for my baby sister." She shrugged, pushing the cookie dough towards Kara and reclaiming the mint chocolate chip. "Honestly, I don't have a problem with you and Mr. Grayson going out. I mean, you do have some things in common, and being in the same line of work is definitely a plus. But Bludhaven is pretty far away, so I wouldn't get too attached. The long-distance thing rarely works out." She shook her head. "What about that Allen guy you met while J'onn and I were away?"

Kara snorted. "You just said the long-distance thing never works. And you can't get more long-distance than another freaking universe. I can't even begin to figure out how to possibly make that happen – even if I _was_ interested. Which I'm not. Barry is just a friend. Dick isn't. This will be fun. A lot of fun."

"Right," Alex muttered. She could tell when her sister was trying to convince herself that she wanted something, even if she really didn't, but decided not to say anything this time. If a date with Grayson was what it took to help her move past whatever was going on with James, Alex would be supportive. Even though Barry sounded more like Kara's type. Or would be if it wasn't for the whole multiverse deal. Which she still couldn't fully wrap her head around. "Anyway," she shrugged, "it was a thought. Any idea what you want to watch?"

"Nothing involving death or romance."

" _Beavis and Butthead_ it is," Alex grinned, queuing up the movie and settling in with her sister for an evening of mindless entertainment.

TBC (Yes, the Bat-Family exists in this universe! The bit on Kryptonian longevity was inspired by Smallville, which heavily implied - though I don't remember if they ever stated it outright - that it would be that way for Clark. And all will be revealed about what's going on with Alex soon - though I'm sure Highlander fans have probably spotted a few clues already. If you have, please don't spoil it for those who haven't. See you Friday!)


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for the follows and favorites! This chapter is where the 'Highlander' part of the crossover officially starts to come into play. Enjoy!

* * *

The next day was a bit weird for Alex. She rarely took time off, so the enforced vacation – even if it was just 24 hours – left her with no idea what to do with herself. Kara took her computer to Noonan's to work on her assignment, so Alex wound up just lounging around the loft, binge-watching _West Wing_ on Netflix for the hundredth time while waiting for her sister to return with the car and motorcycle keys she'd confiscated. She did have a rather interesting conversation with Maggie, but had to reject the detective's offer to 'spring' her because she was pretty sure Kara would have a fit (and perhaps even go so far as to call Eliza) if her supposedly-concussed sister slipped off midday to hang out at an alien bar in the most dangerous part of town. Though Alex did promise to make it up to Maggie later. She didn't quite know exactly how to describe her relationship with Detective Sawyer, but there was definitely _something_ there.

Luckily, by the time the younger Danvers came back to get ready for her big date, things were starting to look up. Late afternoon, Alex had gotten a call from Lucy, inviting her to join her co-Deputy Director and Agent Vasquez in checking out a new bar that had just opened up downtown. Kara had been a bit concerned when she'd mentioned it – and Alex couldn't blame her little sister, given what she'd been like a few years prior – but a quick call back to Lucy had apparently reassured her enough to not spend her date worrying. Alex briefly contemplated inviting Maggie along, but decided that it was too soon for those worlds to collide. No one at the DEO even knew she spent time with the detective outside of case work, and at the moment she wanted to keep it that way. The elder Danvers helped Kara get ready, then grabbed a pair of dress slacks and her nicest shirt from the clothes she'd taken to keeping at the loft to wear for her own evening out. Of course, the younger Danvers still held her keys hostage, claiming concern over her supposedly-concussed state, so she had to wait for Lucy and Vasquez to pick her up. They arrived just as Kara was leaving for her date (whom she was meeting elsewhere – most likely to avoid having Mr. Grayson scared off by the 'big sister' routine), and Alex soon found herself being ushered inside a tiny, hole-in-the-wall establishment called 'Joe's Blues Bar.'

Walking in, Alex suddenly felt overdressed. She'd been expecting some sort of ritzy nightclub-type thing. Instead, what she found was a dimly-lit, almost rustic-looking place that reminded her of a couple of bars she'd visited the year she and Kara had gone to New Orleans for spring break. There was a small stage in one corner, where a bearded, grey-haired man sat playing the guitar and singing. Alex wasn't really a fan of the blues, but the guy definitely had talent.

Lucy went over to the bar to grab drinks for everyone, so Alex claimed a table in the back corner, almost instinctively placing herself against the wall so she'd have a view of the door. The chances of being attacked in a place like this were probably slim, but there was something in the back of her mind telling her to be cautious anyway. Vasquez slid in next to her, and a few moments later Lucy joined them, handing them each a beer while keeping one for herself and sitting across from Alex. As the co-Deputy Director settled in, a news report came across the TV behind the bar about Supergirl and Nightwing stopping an armed robbery. "Looks like the date's going well," Alex muttered, taking a swig of her beer. Still wasn't doing much for her, so the previous evening hadn't been a fluke. She'd have to ask Dr. Hamilton about it later.

"Call me crazy," Lucy shrugged, "but maybe Kara's better off with someone who can actually be out there with her instead of stuck on the sidelines."

Alex's eyebrow shot up. "And here I thought you were rooting for her and James."

"I was until he decided to act like a jerk and jump to conclusions without even bothering to get the facts." Lucy sighed. "I've never known James to act like that before. Do you think something might be wrong with him?"

"You mean besides being an idiot who doesn't fucking deserve her friendship?" She shook her head, taking another drink. "Honestly, I don't know him all that well. If you think something's off, Luce, then by all means check it out. Just don't go trying to invent some otherworldly explanation for what's probably just simple human behavior. I don't want to get Kara's hopes up."

Lucy nodded, nursing her own drink. "Don't worry...Kara won't hear a thing from me until I know for sure."

"We've got company," Vasquez interrupted. Alex and Lucy followed her gaze to see the singer making his way to their table. Based on the way he was walking, the elder Danvers figured one or both of his legs were likely prosthetic.

As he approached, Lucy's face lit up in the biggest grin Alex had ever seen on the typically-serious ex-Major. "Uncle Joe!" she shouted, leaping from her seat and throwing her arms around him. Clearly, she had an ulterior motive for visiting this particular bar, seeing as her uncle was presumably the Joe whose name was above the door.

"Glad you could make it," he smiled, briefly returning the embrace before settling himself into the empty seat next to Lucy's and leaning his cane against the table. "Care to introduce me to your friends?"

She nodded. "Uncle Joe, meet Sue Vasquez and Alex Danvers. Guys, this is Joe Dawson. Grandma Lane's baby brother."

"Nice to meet you, Sir," Vasquez grinned, reaching out to shake his hand. Alex did the same, catching sight of a now-familiar circular tattoo just beneath his watchband.

"Please," he insisted, "just call me Joe."

"Interesting tattoo, Joe," Alex commented, sitting back and taking another sip of her beer. "Where'd you get it?"

Joe shrugged. "Had it done when I came back from Vietnam. Why?"

"No reason. Just not the first one like it I've—" Pain shot through her head, worse than anything she'd felt before. Biting back a scream, Alex pressed the heels of her hands into her forehead, as though it would actually help.

"Are you okay?" she heard Lucy ask, clearly concerned.

Alex shook her head. "I need some air."

"There's an alley out back if you'd like some privacy," Joe offered. "Door's just past the restrooms."

Nodding, she left the table and somehow managed to stumble her way through the door he mentioned and into the alley. The fresh air helped, but not by much. Alex leaned against the brick wall, trying her best not to vomit. What the hell was wrong with her?

Footsteps sounded nearby, and Alex lifted her head to see a tall, dark-skinned woman approach, wearing a trench coat despite the weather being unusually warm for the middle of fall. "I'm Josephine Trudeau, from New Orleans," she said, her accent distinct enough that the agent would have pegged her place of origin even without the odd introduction.

Alex shook her head. "Good for you. Now leave me the fuck alone." Her headache had faded a bit when she met the stranger's eyes, but that didn't mean she was in the mood for a conversation.

"Come on…you know how this goes."

"Know how what goes?"

"Don't play games with me, child," the woman growled.

Alex sighed, pushing away from the wall. "Listen, lady…." She turned to face Josephine and found some kind of old military sword being pointed in her face. "What the fuck...?" Backing up a pace, Alex pulled her gun from the holster at the small of her back. "Drop it, now!"

Frowning, Josephine lowered the blade slightly. "Have you no honor?"

"I'm not the one threatening strangers with a fucking sword! Drop it or I drop you!"

"Have it your way," the woman muttered. "There can be only one!" Josephine charged forward, blade raised, but before Alex could even get her finger on the trigger a shot rang out. The woman collapsed, and the agent looked past the body to see Vasquez approach, gun in hand.

"Are you okay, Ma'am?"

Alex nodded, lowering her own weapon. "I'm fine. No idea what the fuck that was about, but I'm not hurt or anything. What about you?"

"Just doing my job," Vasquez shrugged, holstering her gun as Alex did the same. "I came out to check on you, saw you were in trouble, and…well…."

"Thanks." Shaking her head – which was no longer hurting – the elder Danvers went over to the body and searched the woman's clothes until she found a wallet. In it she discovered several IDs, all with different variations on the name she'd given and for different states. The kind of thing you usually see with spies, only there was nothing else on her to indicate that she was in that line of work. "Whoever you were, you were clearly into something. Just wish I knew what."

"What should we do, Ma'am?" the junior agent asked.

Alex thought for a moment. "Far as I'm concerned, it was a good shoot. She's not an alien, so I say we take advantage of our fake FBI credentials and let the authorities deal with it."

"I don't know. The sword might be hard to explain."

"Crazy doesn't mean extra-normal." She would have said more, but was interrupted by a loud gasp from the dead woman, who sat up. Her headache chose that moment to return as well.

"Fuck," Josephine grumbled. "That was my favorite coat, too." As she spoke, Alex and Vasquez both whipped their guns back out and trained them on her.

"What the fuck are you?" Alex demanded. She'd seen some weird shit in her time at the DEO, but coming back from the dead was on a whole different level.

The woman stared at her for a moment, then started to laugh. "Shit…I can't believe I fucking did that. My bad. Should've realized you were a newbie when you pulled that gun." As she spoke, Josephine stood up, brushed herself off, then picked up her sword and tucked it somewhere inside the trench coat. She started towards Alex, who instinctively backed away, more confused than ever.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

Josephine raised her hands. "Can we put the guns away and talk like civilized people?"

"Depends," Alex shot back, lowering her weapon slightly. "You planning to attack me with a sword again?"

"Nope. No more sword."

Alex nodded, slowly lowering her gun the rest of the way as Vasquez did the same. "Mind explaining how the fuck you're still breathing?"

"Sure, but this could take a while. I've got a place at the harbor. Why don't we move this conversation there?"

"And what makes you think I'd go anywhere with you?"

Josephine shrugged, crossing her arms. "Because you want answers, and I seriously doubt you're any more interested in spending all night in this alley than I am. And I've got the best rum this side of New Orleans," she added with a wink.

"When you put it like that…." Shaking her head, Alex holstered her weapon. She still had serious reservations about trusting this woman, but at the same time it was hard to deny that something was going on with her own body that she couldn't quite explain. If Josephine had answers, she'd be a fool not to take advantage of the opportunity. "So how do we get there?"

"My car's just around the corner."

"Lead the way." She and Vasquez both started forward, only for their new 'friend' to hold up a hand.

"No offense," she told the junior agent, "but this is a private conversation."

Alex frowned. "She already saw you come back from the dead. And weird is pretty much par for the course where we work. I'm pretty sure she can handle whatever it is you have to say."

"Fine," Josephine huffed. "Can she keep a secret?"

Vasquez nodded. "Secrets are also part of the job, Ma'am."

TBC (And for the record, when I see Josephine in my head I imagine the actress who played Tara on True Blood, complete with the accent. The next chapter is going to be pretty heavy on the exposition, but after that things will really start to pick up. Feel free to leave a review and/or PM me...let me know how I'm doing so far. See you Tuesday!)


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks again for the favorites, follows, and reviews. This chapter should answer the question JQN raised, but just to be clear, I'm pretty sure the writers of Highlander 2 had to have been on some kind of drugs to have come up with that ridiculous explanation for immortals. In my story, the lore is more or less canon to the television series (though I've worked in my own personal headcanon that alcohol doesn't really affect immortals the same way as mortals because of the healing factor). As for crossovers with the other CW DCTV shows, it won't happen in part 1, but I haven't ruled it out for part 2 (which is what I'm currently writing). Anyway...on with the next chapter!

* * *

A short drive later, the trio arrived at what looked like an abandoned warehouse. Their new 'friend' led them up a staircase along one side, into an office-like space that had apparently been converted into living quarters. It reminded her a bit of Kara's loft, but less homey. And open on one side, overlooking a rather sparse lower level. Josephine shrugged off her coat, tossing it into the garbage before laying her sword on a nearby counter. She grabbed a bottle of booze from what appeared to be a good-sized collection, along with three glasses, then plopped down on one of the two couches in the living room area. Alex and Vasquez took the other one across from her, watching as she set the glasses on the coffee table between them. "Straight-up okay?"

Alex shrugged. "Fine by me."

"Got any beer?" Vasquez asked.

Josephine shook her head, gesturing to what Alex presumed was the kitchen. "You can check the fridge. Might be one or two in there. Don't really keep it around because it doesn't do much for me." Nodding, Vasquez got up to go check. In the meantime, Josephine poured Alex and herself each a glass of the amber liquid, setting the bottle to one side as she pushed one glass over to the agent. Alex took a sip and ended up coughing a little. This alcohol actually had a pretty good kick to it. "Like I said," Josephine grinned, taking a sip from her own glass. "Best rum this side of New Orleans. Bit higher-proof than what they sell to the tourists, but…well…let's just say I have connections."

"Good to know," Alex muttered, taking another sip. Now that she knew what to expect, the rum went down more smoothly. "Interesting setup you have here."

Their host shrugged. "I own the building. Seemed a shame to let it just sit here empty, and it beats paying what they charge for rent out here. I honestly don't know how you people manage it."

"I do alright."

"Of course. I meant no offense." Josephine sat back, taking another drink. "You know…it occurs to me that I never got your name."

"What's it to you?" Alex shot back a bit defensively.

"Well, assuming you and your friend don't go running out of here screaming, you and I will probably be spending a bit of time together going forward. Figure we should get to know each other."

Alex frowned, setting her glass back on the table just as Vasquez rejoined them, beer in hand. "You make a lot of assumptions."

"I have a bit of experience in this area." She shook her head, setting her own glass back down and holding out her hand. "Josephine Trudeau. My friends call me Jo."

"Alright," Alex nodded, shaking the offered hand. "Alex Danvers. My friend here is Sue Vasquez."

"Nice to meet you." Jo shook Vasquez's hand as well before sitting back and reclaiming her drink. "Just out of curiosity, is there a reason both of you are carrying guns?"

The agents shared a look, and Alex sighed. "If I tell you, you can't go spreading it around."

"You aren't the only ones who can keep a secret. Lay it on me."

Alex paused for a moment. Normally, she wouldn't risk her career by talking about it with outsiders, but something was telling her that she should make an exception this time. A gesture of trust, as it were. If she wanted to know Jo's secrets, sharing a few of her own would probably make the process go more smoothly. She sighed again. "We work for a covert government agency tasked with handling extraterrestrial activity."

Jo let out a low whistle. "Extraterrestrials, huh? Like Supergirl?"

"She works with us."

"Fuckin' A," Jo grinned. "I really lucked out. Any chance I could score an introduction?"

Alex frowned. "Depends on what you have to say. Why are you so interested?"

"Supergirl is what inspired me to move here in the first place. Could've used someone like her back in my day."

"Your day?" Alex snorted. "Like what…the 90s?"

"We'll get to that. So, are you guys like Mulder and Scully? Or more like _Men in Black_?"

The elder Danvers shrugged, reclaiming her own glass and taking another drink. Though the rum was pretty potent, she was only feeling the sort of buzz that beer used to give her. "Everyone at the agency – with one or two exceptions – is trained in field work and goes out as needed. Beyond that, we all have our specialties. Sue's a computer analyst, and I'm a scientist. Bioengineer, specifically. And that's about all I can give you right now."

"Fair enough." Jo drained the last of her drink, then set the glass back down on the table and poured herself some more. "I guess we should just get to it, then. Hope you two don't need to be anywhere anytime soon."

Alex shook her head. "Already texted everyone who needed to know where we were. Don't worry, I didn't give details…just that we were going to be out pretty late and not to wait up." She downed the rest of her own drink and set the glass down; their new 'friend' refilled it without even having to be asked. "So, what's this big secret you had to drag us all the way out here to talk about?"

"Been awhile since I've done this, so I might be a bit rusty." Jo sighed, taking another drink. "You guys said you're used to the weird, so just hear me out and try to keep an open mind, okay?" Alex and Vasquez both nodded. "To start with, I'm a lot older than I look."

"You're what…30?"

"20, technically. Life was just a lot fucking harder when I was growing up. The 1840s and 50s, to be exact."

Both agents' jaws dropped. "You can't fucking be serious," Alex muttered.

"To be fair," Vasquez chimed in, "we do know a Martian who's over 300."

"But he's not human." Alex turned to Jo. "You are, right?"

"Last I checked," Jo shrugged. "Just with a longer lifeline."

"And how is that even possible?"

The apparently much-older woman sighed, setting her glass back down and leaning forward, resting her elbows on her knees and clasping her hands together. "When I first learned about this shit, the guy who filled me in gave me this whole spiel about how we've been around since the dawn of time and how our longevity was 'a kind of magic.' But you're a scientist, so I'll spare you the bullshit. Here's how it works, best I can figure. Certain people are born with something – not sure what you'd call it – inside them that lays dormant for the most part. Whatever it is, it's activated if the person who has it meets a violent or otherwise unnatural end. Activating it renders that person effectively immortal. They won't age, or get sick. Most injuries – even fatal ones – will heal quickly. The only exception being if that person loses their head. No coming back from that one."

Alex nodded, letting her mind digest the information. As an agent of the DEO, the idea of certain abilities lying dormant within a person until certain conditions were met was something she was familiar with. Granted, it didn't usually happen with ordinary humans, but she _did_ promise to keep an open mind. "So, I take it this happened with you? If I have my history correct, it would've been during the Civil War, right?

"Yeah." Jo left the couch for a moment, returning with what looked like a picture frame. "I grew up on a plantation just outside New Orleans. No idea who my parents were. Master supposedly found me abandoned in a field one day. Of course, the way I hear it all immortals start out as foundlings, so…." She shook her head. "Closest to family I ever had was the wet nurse who helped raise me…her and her husband. Master wasn't too bad, as far as those things went. And I was luckier than most. I mean, I still got my ass whooped quite a few times and have the fucking scars to prove it. But it could've been worse. A lot of slaves were forced to breed, as if we were fucking livestock, but once Master's doctor figured out I couldn't have kids I was left alone. As long as I did my work, they didn't really pay much attention to what else I got into. Which was good, because I'd always known I was a bit different. There was no word for it back then – no good ones, anyway – but I was more interested in women than men. Master didn't really care if I fooled around with other slaves, as long as I didn't interfere with that whole fucking breeding deal. However, it turned out that he _did_ care when I got caught with one of his precious daughters." She laughed. "Bitch tried to say I'd seduced her, but it was the other way around. And even if it wasn't…well…let's just say she didn't need that much fucking persuasion. Anyway…his men made the mistake of leaving me alone while trying to decide how to punish my indiscretion. I took the opportunity to run, and managed to make my way North. That was 1860. I disguised myself as a boy and took odd jobs wherever I could find them. The disguise was partly so I could get decent work, since the only jobs for free black women in those days were domestic or whore – neither of which appealed – and partly so I could be myself. Three years later, I was in Massachusetts when the call went out for recruits for the first-ever all-black company."

"The 54th Massachusetts," Alex nodded. "I saw the movie."

Jo rolled her eyes. "I could spend all fucking night getting into how inaccurate that thing was. Only reason to even watch is Denzel." Alex's eyebrow shot up, and she chuckled. "I may not be interested in men in _that_ way, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a fine-looking man when I see one." She shook her head. "Anyway…I signed right on up, eager to do my part to end all of that slavery bullshit. It wasn't all that hard to pass back then. All they really cared about was whether you had all of your teeth and a decent trigger finger." As she spoke, Jo handed Alex the picture, which was a daguerreotype of her in a Union infantry uniform with stripes indicating that she'd been a Corporal. "Made it all the way to Fort Wagner before those Confederate fuckers managed to finish me off. Woke up in fucking ditch with a Confederate officer standing over me and a massive fucking headache. He told me I was immortal, taught me how to use a sword, and then tried to take my fucking head once he figured I'd learned enough to give him a decent fight. Obviously, he taught me a bit too well."

"Why the fuck would he do that?" Alex asked, setting the picture down as she reclaimed her glass and took another drink.

"I don't know how this even fucking started, but all immortals are forced to participate in some dumb-ass 'game' where the last one surviving gets some mysterious prize. Most of the time, I try my best to avoid it, but sometimes I don't have a choice. Only way to stay out altogether is to live on some form of Holy Ground, since fighting there is against the rules, but I like this world too fucking much to hide myself away."

"That's the dumbest fucking thing I ever heard," Alex muttered. "You have the potential to witness all of fucking history and you waste time whacking each other's heads off?"

"No argument here," Jo shrugged, knocking back a healthy swig of her own drink.

"So, what does it have to do with me? I mean, I'm assuming you didn't drag us here just so you could tell your life story."

Jo sighed, setting her glass back down. "You're a scientist, Alex. Think about everything I told you. Does any of it sound familiar?"

Alex shook her head, idly twisting her own glass in her hands as she mentally went over the immortal's story. Admittedly, a few parts did seem to resonate in her own life. She'd known as far back as she could remember that the Danvers' had adopted her as a baby, unable to have children of their own. The only difference between her and Kara was that she'd known no other parents, whereas her sister had spent the first 13 years of her life on an entirely different planet and had needed time to adjust to having a whole new family. And she'd found out a few years ago, after a cancer scare (which she'd never mentioned to Kara, since it turned out to have been a false alarm) that she was unable to have children herself. The headache she'd suddenly developed upon meeting Jo seemed familiar as well, as did the apparently increased alcohol tolerance they both seemed to have. But one major element appeared to be missing. "You're right," she finally nodded, setting her glass back on the table. "We do have a few things in common. But I've never died."

"Are you sure? Have you walked away from anything recently that, by all rights, you shouldn't have?"

"Yesterday," Vasquez interjected, draining the last of her beer and setting the bottle aside. "That big alien threw you into the wall of that canyon, and I'm pretty sure my coms picked up Supergirl saying that she'd heard your heart stop for several minutes. J'onn probably heard it too…guessing our Kryptonian friend forgot that her coms were on at that point."

As her fellow agent spoke, everything finally clicked into place. Alex groaned, dropping her head into her hands. "I'm a fucking idiot," she muttered. "I was just so happy to not be hurt that I didn't even think to question how it was possible."

Jo shrugged. "On the upside, since no one but us knows you actually died, you won't have to walk away from your life."

"No…I'll just have to learn how to chop people's heads off. Kara's going to hate this."

"Kara?"

"Her sister," Vasquez explained.

Jo shook her head. "I'm sorry, but this can't go beyond the three of us. Not yet, anyway. Maybe after you've adjusted you can widen the circle a bit, but you definitely can't tell the people you work for. Not about yourself, and especially not about me. It's sort of an unwritten rule that we don't go around 'outing' each other to mortals. One of the few that everyone follows without fail. So even if you do eventually tell your sister and your friends the truth, don't bring me into it unless I give the okay. No fucking way I'm letting your co-workers turn me into a lab rat."

The agents looked at each other, a little worried. Keeping it from most of the agency wouldn't be an issue, but how do you hide such a huge secret from a telepath? Deciding not to discuss the issue in front of Jo, Alex turned back to the woman she supposed was her mentor now. "So this whole head-chopping thing…was that what you thought was going on outside the fucking bar earlier?"

"Sorry about that. It's just…running into an immortal at _that_ bar, and then watching you go outside as soon as I came in…I just assumed you knew the deal already. It never occurred to me that you might be new. I might have a few trust issues," she added with a slight shrug, taking another drink.

Alex frowned. "What's so fucking special about that bar, other than my friend's uncle owning it?"

"Bars owned by Joe Dawson – wherever they are – tend to be hotspots for immortals and certain mortal busybodies who like to follow us around and record what we do. I'll explain that one later."

"Whatever," the newly immortal agent muttered. "So, does the headache have something to do with all of this?"

Jo nodded. "It's sort of an early-warning system. You'll feel it whenever another of our kind is near, though once you're used to it, it won't be nearly as bad. More like a dull buzzing in the back of your brain."

"So, that's the signal to get ready for a fight?"

"Sometimes. But not all immortals will be out to get you. Many of us just want to live our lives. I actually have a few friends among our kind. Duncan MacLeod, for instance. I know the name doesn't mean anything to you right now, but Mac is quite famous in immortal circles. A living legend. And he's the one who picked up where my first so-called teacher left off and showed me how to make the most of being what we are. He's pretty tight with Joe, so you'll probably meet him eventually."

"Sounds fun," Alex grumbled unenthusiastically. Right now, she was more concerned about how to deal with the fact that she apparently now had an eternity stretched out in front of her, so long as no psychopath came around looking for her head. The whole idea was insane, but there was no other logical explanation for what had happened the previous day if Kara was indeed correct about her heart having stopped. Not to mention her body's reaction to meeting someone who did appear to be immortal. "So, what happens now?"

"You need to learn how to use a sword, for one."

"I've been trained in a variety of weapons, including swords."

"But not to go against someone who's had centuries to perfect their technique and will be looking to end you."

"Right," the agent muttered. She reached for her glass, only to fumble it and send it crashing to the floor. "Shit…" Alex instinctively moved to pick up the pieces and wound up cutting her hand on one of the larger shards. "Fucking hell," she hissed, dropping the shard and lifting her hand up to inspect the damage. As she watched, tiny sparks of electricity danced across the wound, sealing it. Within seconds it was as though she'd never even been hurt, which seemed to confirm everything Jo had been saying. "What the fuck…?" She looked at the older woman expectantly.

"It's called the Quickening," the immortal explained. "Best I can tell, the Quickening is like our life force….the thing that lays dormant inside us until our first death. It collects our memories and heals our injuries, keeping us alive long after we should have perished. And when we take the head of another immortal, their Quickening flows into us and merges with our own, which I'm reasonably certain is where the whole idea of the so-called 'game' came from. The more you take, the more powerful you become, or so they say. I've never really felt it, and I've taken my fair share of heads – all from jackasses who thought I was an easy fucking target. Most immortals I've met don't really give a shit about the power, but there are those that do, and they seek out as many Quickenings as they can get. Headhunters, we call them. I know the idea of training probably sounds like the opposite of fun but, if nothing else, you need to learn to protect yourself from those guys."

"Of course…" Alex got up and went to the window, needing some space. This was all getting to be too much. The immortal part, she could deal with, crazy as it seemed. ' _Not that I really have a fucking choice in the matter,_ ' she thought, staring at her recently-healed hand. But finding out that whatever made her that way also put a target on her back…. She sighed, turning back to Jo. "How the fuck do you deal with all of that?"

"By not letting it consume me. Like I said, I have trust issues, and it's hard not to be a bit jumpy around immortals I don't know. But the best way I've found to deal with this stupid fucking 'game' is to just train, make sure I'm as prepared as I can be, and then live my life. If someone wants a fight, I give it to them. What I don't do – most of the time, anyway – is go looking for fights, nor do I spend all my time looking over my shoulder. That'll just drive you nuts, and keep you from all the amazing things that being immortal allows you to do."

"Like what?" Alex snorted. "Watching everyone I care about grow old and die?" Maybe not everyone, considering J'onn's longevity and what the AI had apparently confirmed about Kara and Clark, but there was still the rest of her family and friends to think about.

"Yeah, that part sucks, but get too bogged down by it and you'll end up all broody like Mac. What I'm talking about is being able to see and experience things mortals can only dream of. All of history, as you said earlier. In 150 years, I've seen my people go from nothing more than property to holding the highest office in the land. An office currently occupied by a woman who would've been jailed less than a century ago just for trying to vote. I've gone from having to hide my lovers like a dirty secret to being able to actually marry them if I choose. 60 years ago, a computer would've taken up the whole bottom floor of this warehouse. Now it can fit in the palm of your hand. You can talk to people on the other side of the globe in an instant, instead of having to wait months or even years for a response. And now we have an honest-to-God alien flying around the city like a gorgeous guardian angel – something that would've been dismissed as a crackpot's delusion just a few decades ago."

Rolling her eyes a bit at Jo's obvious crush on her sister, Alex nodded. "Can't really argue with that. But if you had a choice, would you go back to being mortal?"

"Nope. Dumb-ass 'game' aside, it's the best thing that's ever happened to me." Jo shook her head, filling the glass she'd gotten for Vasquez and sliding it over to Alex's spot. "Now…if we're going to get you through this, you'll need to put in some serious training time. I converted the first floor of this warehouse into a gym so I'd have a place to practice without drawing attention to myself. Figure we should spend at least a few hours a day down there."

With a sigh, Alex reclaimed her seat and downed half the glass Jo had just poured. "As…fun…as that all sounds, it'll be a lot fucking easier said than done. The DEO isn't exactly a 9-5 gig."

"Then we'll just have to work around it. Do you exercise in the mornings before going in?"

"I try to," the elder Danvers shrugged. "Why?"

"Figure it's the easiest part of your routine to change up. Just start coming here instead of wherever you normally work out."

"Possible, but it'd be a little hard to explain to my sister. She goes with me on the mornings when I can actually drag her out of bed at that hour." Not that Kara actually worked out when she did go. Just hung around and made comments about how weirdly obsessed humans were with physical fitness.

"You could just tell her she can't come anymore."

Alex shook her head. "That would be like kicking a puppy. Trust me." She sighed, taking another drink. As she did, a thought occurred to her – though it could've just been the alcohol finally having an effect. She looked at Vasquez. "Need a quick word," she told the junior agent, tipping her head towards the corner farthest from the couch. Alex immediately went over to said corner, joined by her fellow agent just a moment later.

"What are you thinking, Ma'am?"

"First, let's drop the Ma'am unless we're at work. Considering that you've been let in on a gigantic secret, I think we can use each other's first names."

"Of course, Ma—Alex."

"Thanks, Sue," Alex nodded. "Now, I'd like to get your honest opinion on something. What do you think about recruiting our new friend over there to the DEO?"

Vasquez frowned. "Not that I'm questioning your judgment, but why?"

"One, she's already got the combat training – probably more than the rest of us humans combined. Two, she's used to the weird stuff. And three, it would give us an excuse for the sword practice that I apparently need now."

"Sounds like you've already made up your mind. What do you need from me?"

Alex sighed. "I'm concerned about J'onn. While I'm positive he wouldn't turn Jo or myself into lab rats if he found out, I have no idea what he _would_ do."

"I doubt it would be anything bad."

"Maybe not in the strictest sense, but I'm worried he might pull me off of field work, or get involved where he shouldn't while trying to protect me. And keeping this kind of secret from a telepath is going to be next to fucking impossible. Do you have any thoughts on how we might do that, or should I just drop this idea and drag myself out here every morning that I can avoid Kara following me?"

Nodding, Vasquez reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, flesh-colored device that looked like it should fit inside one's ear. "A few of us have actually been working on that issue since J'onn was reinstated. Don't get me wrong…we have nothing against him. He's definitely the best Director we've had. But the possibility that he could get into our heads and pull out our private thoughts isn't something we're comfortable with."

"J'onn wouldn't do that."

"I know. But I'd still like to keep my thoughts to myself. We came up with something similar to what we used to block Jemm, only more discrete and tailored to J'onn's form of telepathy – based on what we know about it, anyway."

Alex nodded. "Have you tested them?"

"Sort of. I've been wearing mine around the office, but I haven't spent enough time around J'onn to be sure whether or not it actually works. But I don't think you or Ms. Trudeau will need them. If this 'Quickening' thing is electrically-based, it might be enough to create a natural barrier to J'onn's telepathy."

"How would you know that?" Alex frowned. "No offense, but you're not a bioengineer."

"No, but we've been reading up on various forms of telepathy and means of blocking them while working on the device. If the theories are correct, the two of you should be safe, and I'll just minimize my contact with J'onn until I can be sure the device actually works."

"Sounds like a plan." Decision made, Alex went back over to where Jo was apparently finishing off the rum. "Got a proposition for you…."

TBC (And yes, I did slightly retcon Alex's origins for the purposes of this story. Then again, it's just assumed that she's the Danvers' biological child, but - given what we know about her parents - I doubt they'd have treated her any differently if the had adopted her as a baby. Make of that what you will. Anyway...see you Friday!)


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for all of the favorites, follows, and reviews! And Happy St. Patrick's Day! Now that all of the setup is finally taken care of (sorry it took so long), we can get to the actual plot! Enjoy!

* * *

"And where have you been?"

Alex looked up from her mug of what passed for coffee at the DEO to see a very unhappy Supergirl staring her down. She probably had it coming, seeing as she'd forgotten to text her sister after deciding to crash at Jo's place for the night, but it was still way too early for a lecture. "If you're going to channel Mom, could it at least wait until I'm more awake?" Between the lumpy couch and Jo's insistence on a training session at oh-dark-thirty, Alex was currently running on less than three hours' sleep. Immortal healing had already taken care of the large number of bruises she'd acquired from spending half the morning getting knocked on her ass, but unfortunately it didn't look like it could do much about one's energy level.

Kara frowned, crossing her arms. "Excuse me for being worried. You should've said something if you weren't coming back to the loft. The whole point of you staying over was so I could keep an eye on you with the concussion and all."

"I thought it was so we could hang out."

"That too." She sighed. "Why didn't you call? Or at least send a text?"

"Sorry," Alex shrugged. "Sue and I made a new friend last night and we all lost track of time…ended up staying the night."

"Lost track of time? Doing what?" Kara gave her kind of a weird look, and it took Alex a moment to realize what she was getting at.

"Not like that, gutter-brain," she grumbled, lightly slapping her sister's shoulder. "We were just talking about…stuff."

Kara's eyebrow shot up. "What kind of stuff?"

"The kind that's not your business." Alex took a sip of her coffee and made a face. There was a reason she usually stopped for it on the way into work. She just hadn't done so today because the training session had run over and stopping would've made them even later than they already were. And she needed to be on J'onn's good side if her plan was to work. She glanced up at Kara. "I don't suppose you could run to Noon—" There was a sudden breeze, and seconds later a hot cup of her go-to order had replaced the mug in her hand. "—an's?" Hoping her sister hadn't just given a bunch of baristas heart failure, she took a sip of her new drink. Much better. Sometimes, having a super-powered sister really did come in handy. "Thanks," she nodded. "So…how was your date?"

"We're not talking about me," the younger Danvers muttered, shaking her head.

"That bad? Looked like you two were getting along just fine on TV."

Kara sighed. "Dick's nice enough when he's just being himself. But when he gets into Nightwing mode…I don't know…it's like he becomes a whole different person."

"Supergirl and Kara are different."

"But not like this. If I hadn't been there, I don't know what he would've done to those robbers. What the hell did Bruce do to him?"

"I don't think we want to know." Alex would've said more, but her head started to ache in an increasingly familiar way and she turned to see Jo – now dressed in a DEO-issue tactical suit – following Vasquez into the command center. Kara looked at her curiously, but J'onn walked in before she had a chance to explain.

"Deputy Director Danvers," he growled, crossing his arms and glaring. "Do we need to review base security protocols – again?"

Alex shook her head. "No, Sir. This isn't a breach. I just did some recruiting while I was out."

"Recruiting?"

Before Alex could even open her mouth, Jo stepped forward and held out her hand. "Gunnery Sergeant Jo Truman, United States Marine Corps. I just moved to National City a few months ago, after returning from Afghanistan."

"I see," J'onn said, looking at her somewhat skeptically as he shook her hand. "Where were you stationed?"

"Helmand Province."

"See any action?"

"Some," Jo nodded. "Whole place is pretty much a combat zone."

"Of course. I hope you don't mind if I check your story."

"Go right ahead," the immortal shrugged. "You're the Director, I assume?"

"Director J'onn J'onzz. I don't know what Deputy Director Danvers told you, but you can't just walk into the DEO and become an agent, no matter how much training you already have under your belt. Assuming your story checks out, we can dispense with the background check, but you still need to prove yourself."

Another nod. "Whatever you need, Sir."

"Come with me. You too, Danvers." He turned and headed for what Alex knew to be the training room. Jo started to follow and the elder Danvers quickly downed the rest of her coffee and moved to catch up, her sister right on her heels. Tossing the empty cup in the nearest trash can, she pulled out her phone and texted the number Jo had given her the previous evening, not wanting the Kryptonian to eavesdrop.

' **That Marine thing was a pretty ballsy move, but he's going to catch on to the lie sooner or later.** '

Jo pulled out her phone, frowning as she read the text. ' **Who's lying? Did you think I crawled into some hole and stayed there for 150 years? I've been a soldier for almost as long as I can remember, though it wasn't until a few decades ago that I could enlist without pretending to be a man. I can assure you that your Director won't find anything wrong with my story.** '

' **Sorry** ,' Alex replied, nodding. Jo returned the nod, and the two walked into the training room where J'onn was waiting. A moment later, Kara joined them, along with several other curious agents – Lucy and Winn included. Vasquez was apparently serious about limiting contact with J'onn until she was more certain about her telepathy-blocker.

J'onn stepped forward, crossing his arms again. "If you want to join the DEO, you'll have to earn it. Normally, I have prospective agents take me on. But since this is Deputy Director Danvers' idea, I think she should do the honors. Defeat her, or at least beat the current record, and you're in."

"Fair enough," Jo shrugged, cracking her knuckles as she and Alex stepped onto the platform. The Deputy Director knew J'onn didn't _actually_ do this with every prospective agent – after all, Winn earned his spot based solely on his genius, and J'onn just picked her up from jail and threw her into months of intensive training – so she couldn't help but wonder if the Martian suspected something after all. Still, she wasn't about to turn down the chance at some payback for that morning.

"You know I let you win earlier, right?" Alex taunted, as much to convince herself as to get under her opponent's skin.

Jo shook her head. "Whatever makes you feel better."

"I won't be so easy on you this time. You want in, you'll have to go through me."

"Bring it on." They both dropped into fighting stances and started circling. Jo jabbed with her left, and when Alex blocked it she was able to land a right to the jaw that sent the younger immortal stumbling. Alex recovered quickly, blocking the next attempt and driving her knee into Jo's stomach, followed by an elbow between the shoulder blades while she was doubled over. With most opponents, that move would've been enough to at least knock the wind out of them. No such luck here. Instead of simply collapsing, Jo was able to grab Alex's legs on the way down and bring her to the floor as well. Alex landed on her back with a resounding crack, and suddenly found Jo standing over her. "Ready to give up?"

"Not a chance." She planted a foot in Jo's stomach, using her opponent's momentary disorientation as an opportunity to leap back up. Before Jo could recover, she was able to land a few solid blows to the older immortal's face and torso. Nothing that would leave any visible marks, but she could tell Jo was definitely feeling it. A bit more confident, she went for what she thought would be the knockout blow, only to suddenly find her arm twisted painfully behind her back. Jo's other arm wrapped around her throat, putting just enough pressure on the carotid to show she meant business.

"There are about fifty different ways I could kill you right now," the older immortal whispered. "Why don't you do the smart thing and surrender?" Alex responded by slamming her free fist into Jo's temple, forcing her to let go. She turned to face her again, shaking out her other arm as the pain faded. They both dropped back into their fighting stances and started circling once more. Alex swung and Jo blocked; the older immortal immediately attempted to return the favor, only to be blocked in turn. It went like that for several long minutes, neither able to gain an advantage. Not until Alex's foot caught on a crack in the floor – one that she normally would've been able to avoid with no problem, but it seemed the gods were conspiring against her today. Jo immediately closed in, landing several blows in quick succession that ultimately sent the younger immortal stumbling off the platform and falling in a heap at her sister's feet. And the smirk on Kara's face told Alex that she'd never live this down even if she made it to half of J'onn's age.

"You really showed her, huh?"

"Shut up," Alex grumbled as she stood.

Unfortunately, that only seemed to amuse her sister more. "Just because you're losing your touch…."

"Am not."

"You haven't able to beat me in at least a month, and I didn't even really know how to fight until you taught me." Kara turned to J'onn. "Maybe we should turn on the red sun emulators and let Alex's new friend take me on." Since handing all of their Kryptonite over to Clark, they'd adapted the Master Jailer's tech in the training rooms so Kara could spar with the human agents on equal footing.

J'onn shook his head. "I think what we've seen will suffice. Welcome to the DEO, Sergeant Truman." He held out his hand for Jo to shake, giving her the same weird look he'd given Alex a few days ago in the office as she did so. If Vasquez's theory was correct, perhaps the look had to do with him attempting and failing to read them. "Now," the Martian continued, "I want the two of you to go to the med bay to get checked out – no arguments – and then report to the command center."

"Yes, Sir," Jo nodded. Seemingly satisfied, J'onn walked out of the training room, followed by most of their audience. Soon it was just the two immortals and the Kryptonian. The older immortal stared at Kara, apparently more than a little star-struck. "So…you're Supergirl. It's a real honor to meet you, Ma'am." She held out a hand, and Kara shook it.

"The honor is mine, Sergeant. Thank you for your service." At that, the Kryptonian turned to her sister. "I really like your new friend. Why can't you be this respectful?

Alex rolled her eyes, shifting her attention to her immortal mentor. "Since you're one of us now, it's time you learned the biggest secret of them all. When she's not wearing the cape, Supergirl here is really my _super_ -annoying kid sister Kara." Kara shot her a deadly glare at the 'annoying' comment, and Jo laughed.

"So, you've had to put up with this one your whole life? You really are a hero."

Kara chuckled. "Not my whole life. Just the past 12 years or so."

"Still…from what I've seen so far, I'd say that qualifies you for some kind of medal."

"Standing right here," Alex grumbled, suddenly regretting the 'recruit Jo to the DEO' plan. Kara immediately pulled her into a slightly too-tight hug, though the elder Danvers didn't complain this time since any damage would heal long before her sister noticed.

"You know I love you, right?"

"Yeah, yeah…love you too, Sis."

Grinning, Kara squeezed her shoulders one more time before gently pushing her towards Jo. "You two had better get to the med bay before J'onn decides to come see what's taking so long. I'll meet you…." She trailed off, pulling her phone from her boot and frowning. "Shoot," she muttered. "Mr. Carr needs to see me. Says it's urgent."

"On a Sunday?" Alex asked, eyebrow raised.

At that, Kara started to panic. "Rao…what if he's firing me?"

"It'll be fine, Kara. Just get out of here before you give him a reason to do just that." Nodding, her sister was gone before they could even blink. Alex turned to the older immortal, who looked a bit stunned at the sudden exit. "Well…I guess I might as well introduce you to Dr. Hamilton."

"You know we don't really need to be checked out, right?"

"I know. But not going would blow our cover."

"Good girl. You're learning," Jo grinned. They moved down the corridor towards the med bay, only for the older immortal to stop them short before they could enter. "Is that your doctor?" she asked, pointing to the brunette in the lab coat on the other side of the window.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Remember those mortal busybodies I mentioned? She's one of them."

Alex frowned. "How do you know?"

"Tattoo on her wrist," Jo explained, pointing to the mark in question, which had become visible when the doctor reached up to grab something on a high shelf.

"Yeah. Saw it the other day. Strangely, Lucy's uncle has the same tattoo in the same spot."

Jo nodded again. "They all fucking have them. Some secret fucking society known as the Watchers. Been around for ages, and get their kicks following us around and writing down our life stories."

"But Dr. Hamilton was here at least a few years before I joined."

"Maybe the Watchers were afraid the DEO would mistake an immortal for an alien and wanted someone on the inside to make sure it didn't happen."

Alex shook her head. "How would they even know about the DEO?"

"Who the fuck knows?" Jo shrugged. "They have their fingers in a lot of fucking pies. All part of keeping their precious fucking secret."

"So how do _you_ know about them?"

"Mac. He and Joe have been friends for years, and Joe's the reason they're not quite as secretive as they used to be. Before him, a Watcher would've been killed for daring to tell the immortal they were assigned to about their existence. Now, from what I understand, they're still not allowed to volunteer the information, but if their immortal confronts them they don't have to lie. Though the rule about exposing immortals to mortals still stands. Not sure if it's a capital offense these days, but the punishment is probably still pretty harsh. But even with the semi-relaxed rules, it's still fucking annoying to have a shadow."

"Think she's mine, now?" Alex asked, tilting her head towards the doctor.

"Who knows? We could ask."

"Maybe," she shrugged. "So who's _your_ Watcher? Joe?"

Jo shook her head. "He's retired. Could probably tell me who mine is, though. But we can worry about that later. Let's just get this doctor thing over with."

"Right." The two entered the room and found Dr. Hamilton looking mildly surprised to see them.

"Deputy Director Danvers. What can I help you with?"

"Agent Truman here just joined, and Director J'onzz thought we both needed to get checked out after her…entrance exam."

"I see," the doctor nodded. "Well, you both look just fine to me."

"Just like that?" Alex asked. "The last time I was in here you ran every test you could think of."

Hamilton shrugged. "Last time you'd been thrown into a canyon wall by an extremely strong alien. This was just a sparring match. Unless you've possibly done something to cause a relapse of the concussion issue, it doesn't look like either of you need the help."

Alex opened her mouth, about to challenge the doctor's previous diagnosis, when her earpiece came to life. " _ **You two just about done?**_ " J'onn asked.

"Yes, Sir. All good here."

" _ **Good. I need you both in the command center now**_."

"Be right there, Sir." The line went dead, and Alex turned back to Hamilton. "Another time, Doc. Let's go, Truman," she added, tilting her head in the direction they needed to move. On reaching the command center, she saw a news feed from city hall up on the big screen. "What's going on?" Alex asked, moving next to J'onn.

"It seems our new Mayor has decided to hold a press conference." He gestured towards the screen, and Alex was quickly able to pick her sister out of the crowd of reporters – probably the reason she'd been called out of there on 'urgent' business by her new boss. Though she had a feeling that Kara's assignment hadn't been Mr. Carr's idea.

The doors to city hall opened, and it took everything Alex had not to visibly react as Maxwell Lord emerged. After the previous Mayor had suffered a fatal heart attack during Myriad, a special election had been held and Lord had put himself forward as a candidate. He'd ended up running virtually unopposed and won handily despite CatCo's best efforts to show the city what the real Max Lord was like. A handful of people – herself included – had written in 'Supergirl' as a protest vote, but it wasn't nearly enough to keep Lord from city hall.

As they watched, the billionaire-turned-politician stepped up to the microphones and gestured for quiet from the assembled crowd. "Citizens of National City," he began, affecting a serious expression. "The world around us is changing faster than we can keep up. It was only about a year ago when we first learned that Superman wasn't the only alien to make our planet his new home, and now there are so many of them that the President is calling for amnesty and a terrorist organization is threatening to kill anyone they believe is even remotely associated with the so-called alien 'menace.' People like you and I, who could very well know an alien or two without even realizing it. Which is why, as of today, I am calling for the city council to pass my new Alien Registration Act. A draft of the Act is being sent to their desks as we speak. Under this Act, all extraterrestrials living in National City will be required to step forward and make themselves known – for their protection, and for ours." As he spoke, Alex glanced over at J'onn, who was looking extremely uncomfortable – and understandably so, seeing as he'd be affected by this Act if it passed. His identity may be known to the agency and to Washington, but that didn't mean he wanted the truth to be made public. And Alex could only imagine how much more frightening the idea must be for her sister.

Max stopped his speech to call for questions, and a reporter for one of the local TV news stations stepped forward. "Mr. Mayor, could you explain how the ARA will protect National City?"

"Excellent question," Lord nodded. "As we've seen in recent weeks, Cadmus is a very real threat. The only way to combat a threat like this is to know who they may be targeting so that we can prepare for the next attack. Right now, Cadmus' greatest advantage is that they know more about the aliens here on Earth than we do. Bringing our extraterrestrial friends out of the shadows and into the light will rob Cadmus of that advantage."

Another reporter stepped up. "But isn't the Federal Government dealing with Cadmus? How is this a local issue?"

"It's a local issue because one of Cadmus' primary targets is living right here in National City. The National City Police Department has created a joint anti-terrorism task force with the FBI in order to try and find these fanatics before they strike again. I'm hoping the ARA will make their job easier."

"But what if the aliens don't want to give up their anonymity?" Kara asked, clearly unable to keep silent any longer.

Lord grinned in a way that made Alex's skin crawl. "Ah…Miss Danvers. I'd heard you moved up in the world. And I don't see why anyone would refuse to come forward. After all, we're doing this for their own good."

"Isn't that what the government said before forcing thousands of Native Americans onto reservations?" the younger Danvers shot back.

"This is different. We know for a fact that Cadmus is targeting aliens and anyone deemed to associate with them. They need to be protected, but we can't very well do that if we don't know who they are."

The first reporter stepped up again. "So what would the ARA require, exactly?"

"It's simple, really. Once the ARA passes, we'll be opening up an office downtown. All extraterrestrials living in National City will be expected to go there and provide their information to the staff. Name, planet of origin, abilities, their true appearance if necessary, and all the details of their human alias. They'll be given cards identifying them as aliens so that the NCPD and other government agencies can deal with them accordingly. But for those that are concerned about being 'outed,' as it were, I can promise that the information will remain with the government only. It will not be released to the public without the alien's permission."

"Isn't this the same as the President's Alien Amnesty Act?" another reporter asked.

"Not at all. As I understand it, the Alien Amnesty Act merely allows aliens living here on Earth to have the same rights as humans. There's no requirement that they identify themselves. The Alien Amnesty Act does have a registry, but it's voluntary. Otherwise, it's simply assumed that everyone will be treated the same under the law. Under the ARA, they will have no choice but to come forward and be recognized, at least by the government. While I have no objection to equal treatment, I also believe that it's important to know _who_ it is we're living with – especially given the threat Cadmus represents to those of us who may be associated with aliens in some way without even realizing it. And I'm hoping that if the ARA works, other areas will consider adopting similar plans…at least until Cadmus is defeated once and for all."

Kara stepped up again, looking very calm and professional despite the anger Alex knew had to be boiling up inside. "Two questions. First, how can anyone trust that the government won't misuse the information provided by the registrants for their own purposes, or that Cadmus' defeat would end the program? Second, how can we be sure that the information is safe? We've had several devastating cyberattacks take place over the past year. And rumor has it that Cadmus was once part of the government. How do we know that the ARA won't be giving them a blueprint for finding and killing the aliens living here in National City?"

"Technically, I counted three or four questions in there, but okay. First, I know that people have all kinds of reasons for not trusting the government. I don't trust it myself, to be honest. Which is why I, more than anyone, can guarantee that the information won't be mishandled. This is a new day in National City. My administration won't be repeating the mistakes of the past. When the ARA passes, I will appoint someone to run the program who is completely above reproach and who truly understands its purpose. As for the security questions, my company's cyber-security is the best in the world. Myriad aside, none of the recent cyberattacks have affected our systems. When the ARA is up and running, Lord Technologies will be providing all of the cybersecurity the program needs. And I can assure you that Cadmus will never be able to hack their way into any of it. My only agenda is making sure that those fanatics can never hurt anyone ever again."

"And what about Supergirl?" another reporter asked. "It's no secret that you're not exactly a fan. What would this mean for her?"

"I was wondering when we would get to that," Lord chuckled, looking straight at Kara. "It's true…I've never been a fan of having an alien acting like the city's savior and making us dependent on her – especially since it's her presence that has brought Cadmus to our doorstep. But Myriad proved that the two of us can work together against a common enemy. I'm hoping that it will be the same with the ARA. If she steps up and complies with the law, I'm confident that Cadmus' days will be numbered."

"And what happens if she doesn't comply?" Kara demanded. "Or to any alien who doesn't want to go along with this registration thing?"

Lord grinned. "Getting a bit defensive, aren't we, Miss Danvers? The ARA is not meant to be a punishment. I, of course, am hopeful that all of the aliens here in National City will see reason and come forward. Now, if there _is_ an issue with compliance, we may have to take more stringent measures in order to ensure that everyone is protected. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, I'd like to believe that we all want the same thing – to end the threat that Cadmus represents – and are willing to do whatever is necessary to make it happen. That's all for today folks." He turned and went back inside as the press pool seemed to erupt, and in seconds Kara had disappeared from the crowd as well.

Alex turned to Winn. "Any chance we can access the cameras in his office? If Kara's going to confront him, it's probably a good idea to keep an eye on things."

"Of course," the new agent nodded. "They're still running on the old system. Lord hasn't updated it with his stuff yet." A few keystrokes later, and the news feed had been replaced by CCTV footage of Max's office, just in time to see the Girl of Steel come in through his window.

"Do we have audio?"

Another nod from Winn. "Yes, Ma'am." He hit a few more keys, bringing the speakers to life.

"What's your game, Lord?" they heard Supergirl demand, moving to the front of his desk.

The smug so-called Mayor leaned back in his seat, steepling his fingers like some Bond villain. "No games. I can assure you that I'm completely serious about this."

"That's what scares me," she shot back. "Do you realize that this so-called 'protection' plan of yours could set off a witch hunt? People wondering if their friends and neighbors are secret aliens…turning on anyone who seems even a little odd…distrusting those who are trying to help…"

"Ah-ha," Lord grinned. "We come to the real issue. You're afraid that people will stop trusting you over this. Of course, the solution is simple: register. It's not like you'd be telling me anything I don't already know."

Kara shook her head. "And become your puppet? No way. I won't be the poster girl for this insanity."

Lord stood up, moving around the desk to stand next to her. "I don't need a 'poster girl,' as you say. Just a few patriotic aliens willing to step up and become part of the solution."

"Is that what you're really after? Forcing aliens into government service to make yourself the city's savior? You're sicker than I thought."

"Who said anything about force?" Lord shrugged. "Aliens who want to remain private citizens can do so. But those who wish to play hero will have to be sanctioned."

"A fact you conveniently left out of that press conference," she shot back. "And I already work with the government."

"Not _my_ government. I won't interfere with the DEO, but if you want to flash that symbol around my city you'll have to play ball."

"And if I refuse?"

Lord smiled, crossing his arms and leaning back against the desk. "Go right ahead. See, I figure I win either way. If you register, I get to take credit for helping to protect National City's beloved heroine. And if you don't…well…this city will finally see the danger I always have and no doubt take care of the problem for me. You have some time while the council decides. I hope you do the right thing." He shook his head and returned to his seat. "Now get out of here before I call my security detail. And tell your DEO friends that if they hack into this feed again, they'll be getting a visit from the NCPD." As he spoke, Alex signaled Winn to cut the feed, so they didn't catch Kara's response. In minutes, the girl in question was back at the base, looking much less confident than she had in the Mayor's office.

"Now what do I do?"

TBC (See you Tuesday!)


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks for the favorites, follows and reviews so far. Really enjoyed this week's episode (especially Maggie), and I'm personally hoping that Kara doesn't wind up crawling back to Mon-El after the musical. I like Mon-El as a character. He's just not a good match for Kara (not as good as Lena, anyway). Enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

"I can't fucking believe he pulled that shit," Alex muttered, slamming back a shot of the most potent liquor Joe had on hand. She set the glass back down on the bar and Joe automatically refilled it.

"Does this have something to do with the Mayor's press conference today?"

She nodded. "I can't fucking prove anything, but I'm pretty fucking sure he's just doing this to fuck with Supergirl. Bastard couldn't give two shits about protecting anyone from those Cadmus fuckers." Alex tossed back the fresh shot and put the glass down again for another refill, which Joe immediately provided. She still wasn't anywhere near drunk, despite having been there for at least an hour, but at least the shots were giving her something resembling a buzz. "Enough about him," she grumbled, drinking down the new shot and returning the glass to the bar yet again. "I'm wondering. Last night, did you know what I was when I came in here?"

"I suspected," Joe nodded, refilling her glass once more. "The signs were there, and the way you reacted when Jo walked in confirmed it. Though I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble on that front. I didn't realize you were new and assumed you wanted a private spot for dealing with whatever business you two might have had."

"It's fine," Alex shrugged. Once again, she downed her shot and signaled for more. "I mean, it sucks that I have to deal with this stupid fucking 'game' for the rest of eternity, but at least I don't have to worry about not being there for the people I love. Assuming I can keep my head attached." She sighed, drinking down the fresh shot and returning the glass to the bar for yet another refill. "I just hope we can put an end to this registration bullshit before the fucking 'game' becomes an issue. Only so fucking much I can deal with at one time."

"The ARA wouldn't affect you," Joe observed, filling her glass again. "But it _would_ affect your sister, wouldn't it?"

Alex, who'd had her drink about halfway to her lips, suddenly fumbled the glass, causing it to shatter on the floor. With a shrug, Joe set down a clean glass and filled it. "What do you know?" she growled.

"Just that Supergirl and Kara Danvers are one and the same. Don't worry," he added softly. "This is a safe place. Anything you say won't leave this bar, I promise."

The elder Danvers frowned. "Who told you? Lucy?"

"No," Joe assured her, shaking his head. "My niece would never betray a confidence."

"Hamilton?"

The ex-Watcher nodded. "I may be retired, but I still have access to the database. When I decided to open a new bar out here, I did some checking to find out what kinds of immortal activity might be going on in National City. Amelia was inserted into the DEO several years ago, to help steer them away from immortals, and when we began to suspect that you might be pre-immortal she started observing you more closely. And yes, the fact that your sister happens to be an alien was part of those reports."

"Right," Alex muttered, slamming back the new shot and setting the glass back down. "Is she my Watcher?"

"Temporarily. The local field office is trying to find someone more permanent to take over."

"Is Lucy part of this?"

Joe shook his head. "The job _is_ sometimes passed down in families – my own daughter is a Watcher – but after my nephew washed out of the academy he made me promise to keep his family out of it."

"You tried to recruit the General?"

"He wasn't a General back then, but yeah…at least until it became apparent that he didn't have the temperament for the job. His black and white view of the world could've led him down the path taken by the Hunters – a group of renegade Watchers who believed that immortals are abominations who should be eradicated at all costs. Luckily, we were able to recognize the signs and get him out before he could get in too deep, and he seems to have focused those tendencies elsewhere."

"Like my sister," Alex grumbled.

"I'm sorry. But it's likely he would've gone down that route even if we hadn't introduced him to the concept of immortals. That's just who he is. I'm sure Lucy would have the temperament to be a Watcher, but I made a promise and I'm trying to honor it."

"Of course," the elder Danvers nodded, downing another shot. Her head started to ache, and she twisted around on the bar stool to see Jo walk in. The older immortal sat down on the next bar stool, and Joe poured her a shot without even having to be asked.

"Should've known you'd be here."

"Yeah? How's that?"

Jo shrugged, downing her shot and signaling for another. "There aren't many places in the city where you don't have to hide who you are, and since you weren't at my home that pretty much narrowed the list to your apartment and here. And I didn't think you'd want to be alone after what happened today."

"You mean Maxwell fucking Lord trying to torpedo my sister's life just for shits and fucking giggles?" Shaking her head, Alex tossed back yet another shot. "How's Kara?"

"Worried. You did bail rather suddenly."

Alex sighed. "I'll call her later. Right now I just want to try and drink myself to the point where I can forget that son of a bitch even fucking exists."

"We could be in for a long fucking night then." Jo shook her head, downing her second shot of the evening. "Why _did_ you leave like that?"

"Because all we were doing was talking ourselves in fucking circles and getting fucking nowhere. That fucker is always finding ways to fuck with Kara, and now he's got the whole fucking city backing him. We can't fucking arrest him because we have no fucking jurisdiction – been there, tried that – and who knows what the fuck he'll do if Kara doesn't play along." Another sigh, followed by another shot. "My whole fucking life has been about protecting Kara, but how the fuck do I protect her from this?"

"I wish I had an answer for you," Jo shrugged. "Same shit, different fucking decade."

Alex frowned. "Meaning?"

"Every time something bad happens and the mortals feel threatened, they turn on those who are different. Sometimes they dress it up as 'protection,' and sometimes they don't even fucking bother with the pretense. This is just the latest fucking version of a story I've seen play out far too many times. And it rarely ends well for those being targeted."

"Jesus," the elder Danvers muttered, taking another shot. "Could you be any more fucking depressing?"

"It is what it is. And if this ARA thing passes, things will probably get a lot worse for your sister before they get better."

"Tell me something I don't fucking know. Either she plays along and becomes Lord's puppet, or she stands her ground and people start wondering if they can still trust her. And even if the ARA does get put to a popular vote, by the time the next election gets here the damage will have been done." She reached for her shot glass once more, only to be intercepted by Jo. "What the fuck?"

"Normally, I wouldn't have a problem letting you throw yourself a pity party all night. It's your body. But with the shit that's about to go down, your sister needs you at your best. So, let's get out of here."

"And go where?"

"My place. Training will be a lot more productive than what you're doing right now."

Alex groaned. "Is that all you fucking think about?"

"You'll thank me the first time another immortal comes for you and you leave with your head still attached." Jo slid off the barstool and reached for her wallet. Joe shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. I already started a tab for you guys. Just don't let it get as bad as Adam's."

"Duly noted," Jo nodded. She grabbed Alex's arm and steered her outside. Once they were through the door, the younger immortal pulled her arm free.

"Alright, alright," she grumbled. "You want to train, fine. But if I'm going to spend the rest of the night getting knocked on my ass, I want to make one stop first."

"Where?"

"City hall."

Jo shook her head. "I don't think so. Not like this."

"I'm fine," Alex insisted. "Barely even have a buzz going."

"It's not your sobriety I'm concerned with. You're pissed off, and you have every right to be. But going there while you're this angry will not end well."

"Come on…Lord's probably already gone home for the night. I just want to take a quick look around his office so I can find out what the fuck he's really up to."

Jo sighed. "Fine. Wouldn't be my first B&E. But you follow my lead, and the second I say leave, we're out."

"Fair enough," the younger immortal shrugged.

"Wait here." Jo walked away, and a few minutes later Alex saw her Caddy pulling up to the curb. Without needing to be asked, she opened the passenger-side door and got in. The drive across town passed in virtual silence, save for the occasional direction from Alex, and soon they were pulling into an alley across from the building that had served as the Mayor's office for the whole of National City's history. Jo was the first out of the car, and as Alex got out herself she saw the older immortal digging around in the trunk. A moment later, Jo chucked a ski mask at her, then pulled some sort of case from the trunk and shut it.

"You just happen to have this stuff in your car?" Alex asked as she pulled the mask on.

The older immortal shrugged. "Mac's been dating a 1,000-year-old master thief on and off for the past few centuries. I may have picked up a few bad habits." She pulled her own mask on and set the case on the trunk so she could open it up. Jo turned and stared at the target building for a few moments, then went back to the case and started rooting through the contents. "How are you at climbing?"

"The DEO's training facility includes a climbing wall, and I hold the current record. Why?"

She tossed Alex a rope with what looked like a grappling hook on the end. "Because we're going in through the top floor. Should put us right at his office." Jo shoved a few other items into her pockets and then, after looking around to make sure they weren't being watched, ran across the street and gestured for the younger immortal to follow.

On reaching the building, Alex moved around the outer perimeter, staring up at the top floor as she mentally attempted to match it with what she remembered from the CCTV video of Kara's visit. It took a few minutes, but she eventually located a window that looked to be in the right position. "This is it," she whispered, tossing the grappling hook up towards it. The first two tries failed, but on the third she managed to get it to latch on. Once she was sure it was secure, she started scaling the building with Jo right behind her. As they neared the window, the older immortal moved away from the rope and carefully maneuvered over to where it opened. Alex watched her pull something from her pocket and put it up against what she guessed was the alarm. A few moments later, Jo slowly pried the window open and pulled herself through, with the younger immortal following close behind. Thankfully, her guess had been correct and they found themselves in Lord's office. It was dark, so Alex pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight feature. Nothing out of the ordinary at first glance, but Lord was nothing if not crafty. "Look around for hidden compartments and such," she instructed, keeping her voice low. "If Lord left anything incriminating in here, it won't be right out in the open."

"Thanks for stating the fucking obvious," Jo muttered, pulling out a flashlight and moving to the other side of the room while Alex inspected the desk. The younger immortal checked out every drawer, finding nothing until she hit the one at the bottom right – which, unfortunately for her, was locked. And she didn't have anything to jimmy it open with. Footsteps sounded nearby, and she glanced up to see a flashlight beam that shouldn't have been there. She raised her own light to get a better look at the newcomer.

"Sawyer?" she hissed, pulling up her ski mask on seeing the detective.

Maggie frowned, quickly closing the distance between them. "Danvers? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Same as you, I'm guessing. I want to know what the hell this ARA bullshit is really about."

Alex's eyebrow shot up. "No warrant?"

"Can't think of a single judge who'd give me one to search the Mayor's office for proof of an anti-alien conspiracy. Besides, you're one to talk."

"DEO doesn't officially exist. No warrant needed."

"Would you two keep it down?" Jo grumbled from across the room.

The detective gave Alex kind of a weird look. If the agent didn't know better, she'd think Maggie was jealous. "Who's your friend?"

Alex shrugged. "Co-worker with some expertise in B&E." Shaking her head, she decided a change of subject was in order. "Any chance you might have something to get this drawer open?" she asked, gesturing to the one she'd found to be locked.

"Lockpicks," Maggie grinned, producing a set from her jacket pocket. "Never leave home without 'em." Nudging Alex aside, the detective knelt down in front of the drawer and got to work. And just when it looked like she might succeed, the young immortal's head started to ache. Jo was still in the room with them, so it couldn't be from her. Seeing her mentor move out of sight, Alex grabbed Maggie and pulled her into a nearby alcove, putting a hand over the detective's mouth before she could demand an explanation. The small space forced their bodies maddeningly close together, and it took every ounce of the young immortal's willpower just to keep still.

A moment later, she heard a door open, and voices began to filter into the office. "I'm so glad the two of us could finally bury the hatchet," Lord said, as if he'd just done whoever he was talking to a huge favor.

The voice that responded was so familiar that Alex just barely stopped herself from leaping out of her hiding spot. "Your Alien Registration Agency will be in good hands, Mr. Lord," James Olsen – of all people – assured the so-called Mayor. "I won't let you down." There was something kind of off about James' voice, making Alex think Lucy's theory might be right, but it didn't change the fact that one of the people Kara trusted the most was now in collusion with the enemy.

"I know," Lord responded. "That's why I picked you. Now, just keep the secure phone I gave you handy, and I'll let you know when the next phase is set to begin. In the meantime, keep any anti-ARA editorials out of _CatCo Magazine_. I only want to see positive articles."

"Yes, Sir. And what about Kara Danvers?"

"I think you know how to handle her. I'll be in touch." There was another brief exchange that Alex couldn't quite hear, followed by the sound of a door opening and closing. "Alright," Lord called out a moment later. "I know someone's in here. Show yourself now, and I won't have to hurt you."

Alex, now certain that Lord was the immortal she'd felt – an unsettling prospect, to say the least – was about to step out and confront him when she heard Jo's voice. "You want to hurt me? You're going to have to earn it."

"Let's go, then." Footsteps retreated from the room, and Alex heard the door open and shut as the ache in her head finally faded. Daring a glance out of the alcove, she found the room empty.

"Looks like the coast is clear," she whispered to Maggie, finally pulling her hand away from the detective's mouth as they eased out of their hiding spot.

Maggie frowned. "What the hell was that all about?"

"I'm not sure, but let's not waste the chance my friend just gave us." She gestured towards the window, and the detective automatically moved towards it with Alex on her heels. The two carefully descended via the rope still hanging from the window sill, after which the immortal pulled the rope down and tossed it into some nearby bushes. Footsteps approached, and before Alex could react Maggie backed her against the wall and pulled her into passionate kiss, which the immortal eagerly returned once she was over the initial shock.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" a gruff male voice asked. Maggie broke the kiss, and the two of them turned to see a member of Lord's security detail – who looked like he should be in a WWE ring somewhere – staring them down.

The detective shrugged, doing her best to look innocent. "Sorry, officer. Old buildings like this are just such a turn on…."

"Gotta give the lady what she wants, right?" Alex added, wrapping an arm around Maggie's shoulders and hoping that her picture hadn't already been passed around to Lord's goon squad.

The guard frowned. "This is government property. I suggest you take whatever this is elsewhere."

"Will do, Sir," the immortal nodded, tossing off a mock salute. "Let's go, darling."

"Whatever you say, sweetheart." Maggie gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and the two of them headed across the street as the security guy continued to glare. When he finally moved on, they ducked into the alley where Jo had left her car. "Well…that was fun," the detective grinned.

Alex's eyebrow shot up. "You have a weird fucking idea of fun."

"Come on, Danvers…don't tell me you didn't enjoy that."

"Not the part where we almost got caught and lost our chance to find out what was in that drawer."

"And the other part?"

She shrugged. "Not exactly how I'd pictured our first kiss, but I'm not complaining."

"So, you've thought about kissing me before?" Maggie smirked.

Alex looked down at the ground, feeling her face flush. "No…maybe…I mean…fuck…."

The detective laughed, patting her cheek. "You're so cute when you're flustered."

"Y-you think I'm cute?"

"Of course," Maggie beamed. "I don't go around kissing just anyone."

Alex returned the smile, moving in a bit closer. "Good to know." She maneuvered Maggie back against the car in a sort of role reversal from before. "You know…we _did_ get interrupted earlier. And I hate leaving things unfinished."

"Me too." This time, Alex initiated the kiss, which Maggie eagerly returned. She still didn't exactly know what this was between them, but after today she was more interested than ever in figuring it out. Both of their hands started to wander, and Alex was seriously considering moving things elsewhere when her head started to ache again. Mentally swearing in every language she knew, the young immortal broke the kiss and looked to see Jo standing at the end of the alley, staring at them with eyebrows raised as high as they could go.

"If you two are done playing grab-ass, we need to get out of here before Lord's security detail figures out what I did to their boss and comes looking."

"Guess that's my cue," Maggie shrugged, giving Alex one more quick kiss. "My bike is just around the corner. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Not if I call you first."

"Good God," Jo muttered, rolling her eyes. Giving the older immortal the finger, Alex pulled Maggie in for one final, lingering kiss before reluctantly letting the detective disappear into the night. She stared after her for a few moments until she felt a hard slap to the back of her head.

"Ow!" she cried out, rubbing the sore spot as she turned to face Jo. "What the fuck?"

"I distracted Maxwell Lord so the two of you could get the hell out of here, not make out in an alley like a couple of hormonal teenagers." Shaking her head, Jo got back into the car and Alex automatically followed suit.

"It's not like I planned that," the younger immortal grumbled once they were underway. "It just kind of…happened."

"Next time, make sure it 'just happens' someplace that's not right across the street from a potentially dangerous immortal."

"Who are you, my mother?"

"I'm just trying to keep you from doing something stupid and getting yourself permanently dead."

Alex frowned. "Are you saying that getting involved with Maggie is stupid?"

Jo fell silent for a few moments. "No," she finally sighed. "If you want to explore whatever it is you may be feeling for this Maggie, that's your business."

"Glad we agree on something," the younger immortal shot back, crossing her arms.

"Just keep in mind that she's mortal. If things get serious, sooner or later you'll have to tell her the truth. It wouldn't be fair to her otherwise. And if she can't handle what being with one of us entails, then you may have to let her go." Alex nodded, suddenly a bit depressed at the realization that, one way or another, whatever she might have with Maggie had an expiration date. Seeing as the detective counted at least one extraterrestrial among her exes, Alex doubted she'd bat an eyelash at the immortality thing. But it didn't change the fact that Maggie would die one day. If it didn't happen in the line of duty, then the immortal would have to watch as she eventually grew old and passed away from natural causes. "Hey," Jo whispered, disrupting her train of thought. "Saying you should be careful isn't the same as saying it's not worth it. A few decades with a mortal you truly love is better than several lifetimes of not putting yourself out there at all. Trust me on this."

"Well, Maggie and I are still getting to know each other. I don't know if this is even going anywhere."

"Either way, my advice still holds."

"Anyway…." Alex muttered, looking to change the subject. It was way too soon to be thinking about what kind of future she may or may not have with Detective Sawyer…no matter how amazing her kisses might be. "How the fuck did you manage to get past Lord? Did you…?"

Jo shook her head. "Tempting as it was, taking the Mayor's head in the middle of city hall would draw way too much unwanted attention. I just let him chase me until I figured you'd had enough time to get out, then caught him, snapped his neck, and shoved him into a storage closet. He'll be pissed as hell when he wakes up, but it did give me a chance to get into that drawer you and Maggie were trying to open and copy the flash drive he'd hidden there. Maybe Sue or that computer hobbit can figure out what's on it."

"That's great," the younger immortal grinned. At least they'd gotten something from the break-in. Of course, her good mood quickly evaporated when she remembered what else they'd found. "So…any idea how to tell Kara that one of her best friends is now working for the man who's out to fuck up her life?"

"The truth always works."

Alex frowned. "But what _is_ the truth? Is Lord controlling him somehow? Or is he doing this all on his own?"

"Maybe that flash drive will tell us."

"Let's hope. But until then, what the fuck do I say? I don't want to get her hopes up by speculating, but I also don't want to destroy her faith in James if there's even a chance that he's not acting of his own accord."

"And if she works with the guy at her other job, you don't want her caught off-guard when he puts Lord's plan into action." Jo sighed. "My suggestion: tell Kara what you saw, and that you're looking into it to figure out why he's turned. She'll probably freak out, but better to be freaked out and prepared than get blindsided by all of this."

Alex nodded, barely able to suppress her anger at Lord for putting her in this position. One way or another, Kara was going to be hurt by what was going on with James. The two may not be on speaking terms at the moment, but that didn't mean her sister cared any less about the photographer. "Lord has to be stopped," she growled. "Permanently."

"I get that you're angry, Alex, and I don't blame you. But I also don't want you going out to look for a fight. Like it or not, Lord's a public figure. Which means he might as well be on Holy Ground. Killing him would raise too many questions that we can't answer without revealing our secret. It's one thing if he forces the confrontation and you have no choice, but initiating a challenge against him is a bad idea. Promise me you won't go after him."

"Fine," the younger immortal snarled. "But you'll still train me?" As she spoke, Jo pulled the car up outside what she now recognized as the older immortal's home.

"Of course I will. But if this sudden eagerness is about Lord…."

Alex shook her head. "I said I'd stay away, didn't I? Just want to be prepared if he comes after me."

"Alright," Jo nodded, getting out of the car as Alex did the same. "Let's get started, then."

TBC (Sorry the Sanvers took so long, but I promise it'll be worth the wait. It only gets better from here. And for the record, in this AU Maggie wasn't in a serious relationship when she met Alex. So no breakup drama. Anyway...see you Friday!)


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks again for the favorites/follows/reviews. And to JQN, I won't answer that question because I don't want to spoil the story going forward. The Supergirl/Flash crossover was awesome, though I am disappointed that Kara took Mon-El back so quickly. Hoping they ship him back to Daxam before the end of the season (especially since Lena is set to become a series regular in season 3). Now on to the next chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

"You're still telegraphing your moves."

"Huh?" Alex asked as she swung her practice sword. Jo effortlessly blocked the move before sweeping the younger immortal's legs out from under her. She hit the floor with a loud crack and felt at least two ribs break on impact.

Shaking her head, Jo stood over her student, leaning on her own practice sword like a cane. "Know what you did wrong?"

"No," the younger immortal groaned. "But I'm sure you're going to tell me."

"You look where you're planning to strike. Makes it easy for your opponent to anticipate."

Alex sighed, slowly sitting up as the pain in her ribs disappeared. "I need to see what I'm doing, don't I?"

"Do you have to do that when you fight hand-to-hand?"

"No."

"It should be the same with this," Jo nodded. "The moves need to be instinctual…the sword an extension of your arm. When you fight, you need to be able to stay focused on your opponent's eyes. Even the most experienced swordfighters have tells. Maybe not as obvious as yours are right now, but the eyes are generally where you find them. And the less you have to consciously think about your own moves, the more you can focus on learning theirs." She held out her hand, and Alex allowed the older immortal to help her back to her feet.

"Want to go again?"

Jo shook her head. "Right now, I think you need to work on building that muscle memory. And to acquaint yourself with this." As she spoke, the older immortal retrieved something from the bag she'd left by the door of the training room. The item was wrapped in cloth, and on returning to Alex's side Jo pulled the cloth away to reveal a familiar-looking blade.

"Is that Longclaw?"

"A little birdie told me how much you like _Game of Thrones_. But if you look closely, you'll see that it's not an exact match. I had a friend of mine customize one just for you. The length and balance are perfectly calibrated for your height and fighting style, and there are also a few personal touches thrown in." She handed the blade to Alex, who took a closer look. From a distance, it could easily pass for a replica of the one from the show. But the eyes on the white wolf's-head pommel were the same shade of blue as Kara's supersuit, the hilt was wrapped in leather just a shade or two darker than her cape, and a golden House of El crest had been added to the center of the cross-guard. She pulled the blade free of its scabbard – which matched the wrapping on the hilt – and gave it a few experimental swings. It felt completely natural…like the sword was meant for her hand alone.

"I-I don't know what to say," Alex stammered, sheathing the blade.

Jo shrugged. "A good sword is crucial for your survival as an immortal. Most teachers wait until training is complete to gift their students with one, but I believe that the more time you can spend getting used to your blade, the better you'll be when you actually need it. I would've had it for you sooner, but good custom work like this takes time."

The younger immortal nodded, twisting the sword in her hands. "So, am I supposed to start carrying this around now when I go out? And how exactly does that work?"

"Normally, I'd advise that you hold off on that until your training is further along. But with Lord out there, I'd rather you be armed just in case he works out that you're one of us and tries something." Jo moved to retrieve something else from her bag, which she quickly tossed to her student. Alex caught the item and found it to be a long black coat. "My friend made that to go with the sword," the older immortal explained. She took the coat back from Alex's hands and opened it up to show her the inside. "This right here," she continued, pointing to the part in question, "is a built-in pocket for your sword. Just slide it in, scabbard and all. It's angled so that it won't change the shape of the coat while you're wearing it, but you'll still be able to pull your blade quickly if needed. I have a bunch just like it to carry mine. Wearing a coat like this all the time will take some getting used to, but in a few decades, it'll become second nature."

"Right," Alex nodded again, sliding her sword into the special pocket and trying the coat on. A perfect fit. "How did your friend know my size?"

"I asked Agent Schott. Apparently, he has an eye for that sort of thing."

The younger immortal's eyebrow shot up. "Does he know?" she asked, drawing the blade – which was as easy as Jo promised – and shrugging the coat off.

"He thinks I'm planning to drag you into some sort of cosplay thing at the next ComicCon."

"Not fucking happening," Alex muttered. She tossed the coat aside and gave her sword a quick twirl. "What now?" Next thing she knew, Jo had pulled something dark over her eyes. She instinctively reached up to remove it, only to have her hand smacked away.

"Leave it," the older immortal ordered. "We have about an hour left in here before Director J'onzz brings in the rookies for their training session. I want you to spend that time working through your sword drills with the blindfold on. It'll force you to stop relying on your eyes and start trusting your body to move the way you need it to. Like I said before, the moves need to become instinct so that you can focus your mental energies on studying your opponent."

"You're fucking with me, right?"

"Not at all. You'll do this for an hour today, and an hour every day until you can beat me. Now begin!" Footsteps retreated from her position, and Alex drew in a deep breath. She slowly moved through the drills Jo had taught her, which were different from the way she'd learned as a rookie DEO agent. It was basically the difference between wielding a hammer and a scalpel. Where the DEO had just taught her how to do as much damage as possible as quickly as possible, she now had to learn an intricate system of moves and countermoves for the purpose of facing someone of equal or greater skill than herself and finding some way to create the crucial opening to deliver the final blow. Before all of this, Alex had thought herself to be pretty badass with every weapon she'd ever held. The past few weeks with Jo had pretty much driven home how much of a novice she really was when it came to swordplay. She stumbled through the moves the first few times she tried them without being able to see, but gained more and more confidence with each repetition. By the end of the hour, her arms felt like they were about to fall off, but at the same time she was starting to see the value in Jo's rather unorthodox training method. Though she knew she still had a long way to go, the movements were beginning to feel more natural – especially with her custom-made sword in her hand instead of the practice blade.

Once Jo dismissed her, Alex returned her sword to the hidden pocket in her new coat and slipped out of the training room before J'onn took it over. The session had left her a sweaty mess, so she shoved the coat into her locker and hit the showers, taking her time since she didn't have to be back on duty for another 30 minutes. By the time she finished, the aching in her arms had completely healed and she was ready for whatever the DEO might need her to do.

Alex was back in the locker room, pulling her boots back on when her phone rang, and a smile spread across her face when she saw the name on the caller ID. "Hey babe," she whispered, not wanting her voice to carry. She and the lovely detective had been seeing each other semi-seriously since the kiss, but she still wasn't quite ready for her DEO comrades to know. "You know I'm at work, right?"

" _ **I know. Was kind of hoping you could get official clearance to help me with something.**_ "

"Alien-related?"

" _ **Kind of. Mayor Lord is holding a big press conference downtown to open his Alien Registration Agency, and I got volunteered to do security since my bosses are worried about an anti-registration group trying to assassinate our esteemed Mayor**_."

"And you want _my_ help? If I had my way, the fucker would already be six feet under."

" _ **Come on, Danvers. I know you hate the guy, but that doesn't mean we should just stand back and let someone kill a city official.**_ "

Alex sighed. Much as she hated to admit it, Maggie had a point. "Fine. Where should I meet you?"

" _ **CatCo Plaza. He's opening up the new agency right across from where your sister works, of all places.**_ "

"Right," the young immortal growled. Of course, Lord would seize the opportunity to taunt Kara with a daily reminder of how he was trying to fuck up her life. And given what they'd overheard him and James discussing during the semi-successful break-in at city hall, it also made a weird sort of sense to have it that close. "So, when does Lord start grandstanding?"

" _ **The press conference starts in about an hour.**_ "

"I'll be there."

" _ **I knew I could count on you, babe**_ **.** "

"Yeah, well…you're going to make it up to me later, right?"

" _ **I think I might have a few ideas you'll enjoy.**_ "

Alex smiled again, already looking forward to that evening. "I'll hold you to that."

" _ **Wouldn't have it any other way. See you soon?**_ "

"Of course. Be careful out there."

" _ **You too.**_ " Maggie hung up, and Alex put her phone away as her head started to get that weird buzzing feeling. She glanced up to see Jo approach.

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough," the older immortal shrugged. "You know going to that press conference is a bad idea. If Lord figures out that you're one of us…."

Alex shook her head. "I gave Maggie my word. And, last I checked, I outrank you."

"In the DEO. Not when it comes to this stuff."

The younger immortal stood up, crossing her arms. "Look…Maggie isn't the only reason I'm going. Chances are, Kara will be there, and I don't just want to watch on TV this time. If Lord tries something, I want to be close enough to stop him. I don't care if he figures out that I'm immortal."

"Fine," Jo sighed. "But I'm coming with you." Alex opened her mouth to protest, and the older immortal held up a hand. "Last time we were both in the same room with Lord, I was able to get him to focus on me, and I think it's because your signature is pretty weak compared to mine…enough that he doesn't seem to realize that he's sensing two immortals instead of one. If I go, he'll assume that I'm the immortal he's sensing and not even bother with you beyond his weird obsession with the Danvers sisters."

Alex nodded, grabbing her vest, service weapon, and coat from her locker. The vest was rather superfluous, given the fact that a bullet wouldn't actually kill her any more – not permanently, anyway – but not taking one on a job where guns could possibly come into play would look strange. She put on the vest and her gun holster, taking a moment to make sure her sidearm was functioning properly, then draped her coat over her arm until they were out the door. "If you want to come, fine. I won't say no to the backup. But if that fucker tries anything against Kara, he's mine."

"No arguments here," Jo shrugged, putting on her own gear as she spoke. "Just be careful. We don't know how old or powerful Lord really is."

"Right," Alex nodded as they headed towards the command center. "I take it Dawson hasn't found anything on the guy?"

The older immortal shook her head. "Seems Lord has a nasty habit of dismembering Watchers, so he's on pretty much every blacklist they've got. They're not even sure 'Maxwell Lord' is his real name. And if he did have another name before this, there's no way to pinpoint what that might have been."

"Fuck," Alex muttered. What the hell kind of monster were they dealing with?

"Going somewhere?"

Entering the command center, the immortals turned to find Lucy waiting for them. "Detective Sawyer wants some help with security for Lord's press conference today. Apparently, there are concerns about anti-registration groups trying to take him out."

The co-Deputy Director nodded. "And as much as we dislike Lord, we can't just stand by and let someone get away with taking out a city official. They get away with it once, they'll think it's open season. Well, you don't need my permission, Alex, but I say go ahead and take as many agents as you need. Winn and I will coordinate things from here, and I'll fill J'onn in when he finishes with the rookies."

"Thanks, Luce," Alex grinned. She grabbed Vasquez and about a dozen other agents with security experience, and in minutes a small caravan of SUVs was headed to CatCo Plaza. On arriving, the agents spread out and the younger immortal made a beeline for Maggie, pulling her in for a quick kiss. "Here I am…as promised."

"Didn't doubt you for a second." The detective looked her up and down for a few moments with that smirk she found absolutely irresistible. "Digging the new look," she grinned, running her hands down the front of the coat before grabbing the lapels and pulling Alex close, bringing her mouth right up to the immortal's ear. "Though I think this thing would look much better on the floor."

Alex bit back a frustrated groan. She and the detective had agreed to take things slow, but right now it was taking every ounce of her willpower not to pull Maggie into some private corner and do all of the things she'd been dreaming about since they met. "S-so...," she stammered, eager to change the subject before her libido overrode her good sense. "How are things looking out here?"

Maggie shrugged, looking equally frustrated as she released her grip on Alex's coat and stepped back. In seconds, the detective's demeanor had returned to being completely professional, and the immortal forced herself to do the same. "Nothing so far," Maggie informed her, "but the anti-registration guys could just be waiting for Lord to actually show. We have snipers up on the roofs, and plainclothes officers spread out through the crowd."

"Got a few of my own people in there, too. I'm going to position myself over by the CatCo building so I can have a good view of the crowd and help the guys back at the office direct the team."

"Makes sense," the detective nodded. "See you after?" she grinned, dropping the professional demeanor once more. "Assuming, of course, that the shit doesn't hit the fan between now and then."

"Can't wait." Alex drew Maggie into one more quick kiss before slipping through the crowd to take the position she'd indicated. In truth, keeping an eye on things was only part of her reasoning. The other part was to stay as far from Lord as possible to minimize the chances of him sensing her instead of Jo (who was going to stay towards the front of the crowd). As she reached the building, her sister was coming out of the door, reporter's notebook in hand.

"Alex? What are you doing here?"

"Helping out with security. There have been threats, apparently."

"I heard," Kara nodded. "Mr. Carr put one of the more experienced reporters on that story, while I'm stuck covering Lord's grandstanding." She sighed. "If this is what I think it's going to be, I don't know if I can take seeing James going along with it. Bad enough that he killed my story about the ethical implications of the ARA and is making Mr. Carr limit my assignments to stuff like this. If you hadn't told me about what happened in Lord's office, I'd think he was punishing me over whatever he thinks is going on with Mon-El." She sighed. "Have Winn and Sue been able to get into that flash drive?"

Alex shook her head. "Lord has those files so heavily encrypted that it could take months to even get close to cracking them."

"Rao…what are we going to do?"

"It'll be okay, kiddo," the elder Danvers soothed, pulling Kara into a quick hug. "We'll figure this out. I promise."

Kara nodded again, though she didn't look completely convinced. "So…what's with the coat?"

"You like?" Alex asked, happy to go along with the change of subject. "Thought I'd try out a new look."

"Reminds me of those gunslingers in those westerns you used to make me watch."

"I don't recall ever having to 'make' you watch anything."

"Whatever," Kara shrugged. "It does make you look pretty badass. But why is it lined with lead?"

Alex's eyebrow shot up, even as she made a mental note to thank Jo for her foresight. "Why are you trying to look through my coat?" she challenged. Kara looked away just as the elder Danvers noticed a faint buzzing feeling in the back of her head.

"Oops…gotta go. Press conference is starting." The younger Danvers sped off into the crowd, taking a position near the front just as Lord approached the podium he'd set up.

" _ **Don't worry, Danvers**_ ," Jo assured her through the coms. " _ **I've got eyes on her. Lord won't have a chance to try anything**_."

"I'm holding you to that, Truman. And if the fucker _does_ manage to pull something…"

" _ **He's all yours**_."

"Good," Alex nodded, turning her attention to the billionaire-turned-politician, who was gesturing for quiet from the assembled crowd.

"Citizens of National City. As many of you know, two weeks ago – after much deliberation – the city council passed the Alien Registration Act. Thanks to a very dedicated petition drive, the Act will be put up for referendum in next year's election. But until then, the law will remain in effect. And to aid in the enforcement of the Act, I would like to officially announce the opening of the Alien Registration Agency." He gestured behind him with an almost theatrical flair, and a sheet fell away to reveal fresh signage announcing that fact on what – until just a few days ago – had been a vacant office building. Lord certainly worked fast. "Starting today," he continued, "all extraterrestrials living in National City will be expected to come here and make themselves known to the officials inside so that we can protect them from groups like Cadmus. Especially those who wish to use their powers to play hero. While I have no desire to prevent anyone from doing good deeds for the people of this city, I will not tolerate any aliens doing so in violation of our laws."

One of the local TV reporters raised her hand. "Are you saying that if Supergirl doesn't register, she can't continue to help us here?"

"Exactly." The press pool seemed to erupt at that, and Lord allowed it to go on for a few moments before gesturing for quiet once more. "I know that everyone here has a soft spot for the Girl of Steel, but the law is the law. Either she registers, or she'll have to find someplace else to perform her heroics. Because I'm such a generous man, I'll give her until a week from today to make her decision." As Lord spoke, he looked directly at Kara, and Alex could see her little sister struggling to hold her temper in check. If she wasn't on duty, she'd have run up and slugged the arrogant billionaire for even daring to suggest that Supergirl should be run out of town over this. Her hand traveled to her side, where she could feel the now-comforting presence of her sword, which the fangirl in her thought needed a name. There would be plenty of time for that later, though.

"So, who have you tasked with running this agency?" another reporter asked. "You promised someone who is, and I quote, 'completely above reproach.' Has that person been selected?"

"I'm glad you asked," Lord grinned, making Alex wonder if that reporter was a plant. "After very careful consideration, I realized that the ideal person to run this agency would be someone who has excellent relationships with known aliens and truly understands what's at stake. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mr. James Olsen." He stepped aside as James made his appearance, and Alex had to resist the urge to run over to Kara, who looked like she might be sick.

James stepped up to the podium, staring straight ahead in a way that set off every internal alarm bell the young immortal possessed. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, his voice almost monotone (though not enough to alarm the average listener). "At Mayor Lord's request, I have agreed to oversee the Alien Registration Agency, starting today. And though I will remain the interim CEO of CatCo Media, I will be delegating all editorial responsibilities to Snapper Carr in order to avoid any conflicts of interest." Alex snorted at that, not buying it for a second in light of Lord's order to keep the magazine clear of anti-ARA editorials and such. Fortunately for her, no one seemed to notice her skepticism as James continued his spiel. "I promise that I will do everything in my power to ensure that the aliens who register under the Act will be able to do so with whatever degree of privacy they desire, and that their information will be protected from those who would use it to do them harm. As a close, personal friend of both Superman and Supergirl, I can assure the people of National City that my only interest is in keeping everyone here safe – human and alien alike." He turned his attention to Kara, who started to look even more uncomfortable. "On that note," he continued, his voice starting to sound a bit more genuine. "I would strongly urge Supergirl to do the right thing and register. The city needs her. Whatever her opinion of the Act, it's not worth fighting us over…not if doing so deprives National City of its hero."

As he spoke, Alex spotted the pointy-eared alien she remembered from the dive bar, looking a bit twitchy. "Someone check the northeast corner," she whispered into the coms. "Long, dark hair. Pointy ears. Could be nothing, but I don't want to leave anything to chance."

" _ **On it**_ ," Vasquez responded. The immortal watched her fellow agent move through the crowd in the direction she'd indicated. But before Vasquez reached that alien, another one – the one Alex had 'questioned' with a bar stool – leapt up onto a speaker, holding a firearm.

"Gun!" Alex shouted into the coms, already on her way to tackle the guy.

"Die, traitor!" He raised his gun, getting a shot off just as she took him down. A swift punch to the temple knocked him out cold, and Alex looked up to see someone standing in front of James, holding the fired round. But it wasn't Supergirl. She was hovering above the crowd, as if she'd just arrived. Rather, it was Mon-El, wearing what looked like red long johns and a blue cape, along with thick blue gloves that had to have been made of Kevlar, given the Daxamite's pesky little lead allergy. Mon-El tossed the bullet aside as Lord made his presence known once more.

"Well…that was exciting," he grinned, as though it was all part of the show. Alex cuffed the alien she'd taken down, noticing that the police and her fellow agents were doing the same to several others spread throughout the crowd. Meanwhile, Lord turned his attention to Supergirl. "Looks like you weren't needed after all." He then turned to Mon-El. "And you are…?"

"Valor," he boomed, adopting a 'power' pose that was a pale imitation of Supergirl's. Alex rolled her eyes, almost positive that Winn was responsible for the costume and/or the name, if not both. She'd have to sit him down later for a nice, long talk.

"Are you planning on making this a regular thing, Valor?"

Mon-El nodded. "And I'm here to register, like the law says."

"Excellent," Lord beamed, looking like he'd just been handed the Nobel Prize. He threw an arm around Mon-El's shoulders, shooting a rather pointed look at Kara. "At least one hero understands how this works. Alright," he continued, turning to what remained of the crowd. "Show's over, ladies and gentlemen." Lord turned back to Mon-El, steering him towards the new ARA building. "Come on…let's get you squared away." They went inside, followed by James, and an extremely frustrated Kara dropped down next to her sister.

"What the hell is he thinking?" the Kryptonian huffed.

Alex shrugged, dragging the cuffed alien to his feet just as he was starting to stir. "One thing at a time, Supergirl. Care to give me a hand?"

Kara nodded, and the sisters each grabbed an arm and started pulling him towards where the SUVs were parked. The alien attempted to protest, but there was no escaping Supergirl's grip. Maggie met them right in front of the cars, looking as pissed as Alex had ever seen her.

"You really fucked up this time, Kol," the detective snarled, glaring at the gunman. "I'm this close to just letting the DEO dump you in some hole and leave you there."

"Come on, Mags…we both know you won't do that."

"Try me."

"Tell you what," Alex chimed in, turning Kol to face her. "Give us some information, and I'll let you go back to the NCPD with the nice detective. Was this dumbass stunt your idea, or was it a group effort? We've already grabbed a bunch of other suspicious aliens. One of them will surely talk if you don't. First to spill gets the good deal."

Kol shook his head. "I ain't talking."

"Fine. DEO base it is. Hope you like fishtanks, because you'll be spending the rest of your life in one. Supergirl?"

"On it," the Kryptonian nodded. She started to lift off, and Kol panicked.

"Wait! I was just doing what I was paid to!"

Supergirl touched back down, and Maggie grabbed the front of Kol's shirt and pulled him close.

"Who paid you?"

"I don't know! Someone just dropped an envelope of money off at the bar with instructions!"

Maggie nodded. "I'll take it from here, Danvers. Tonight…your place?"

"Can't wait," Alex grinned. The detective dragged Kol off, and she turned to Kara to find her sister giving her a weird look. "What?"

"What's going on tonight?"

"Movie night."

Kara's eyebrow shot up as a hurt look flashed across her features. "Without me?"

Alex sighed. "I love you, Sis, but I do have a life of my own. Just like you have game nights with your friends, I occasionally have movie nights with mine. Okay?"

"Fine," the Kryptonian huffed. "See you back at base?"

"Right behind you." Kara took off, and Alex tapped her earpiece. "What's the damage, Lane?"

" _ **We caught 8 other possible alien terrorists besides the one you stopped. Most of them are going to the NCPD. We're only taking the ones whose powers they don't have the means to contain.**_ "

"Good, but I get the feeling that this whole thing was staged. The one I grabbed insisted he'd been paid by some unknown party. My guess is that Lord set up the attack so that he'd have an opportunity to trot out his new poster boy and show Supergirl up."

" _ **New poster boy?**_ "

"Mon-El. Showed up in a costume and called himself Valor." She heard someone making squawking noises in the background. "Agent Schott, you wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

" _ **H-he told me he wanted to surprise Supergirl.**_ "

"She was surprised, alright," Alex growled. "Now Mon-El has made himself into the shining example of what a 'law-abiding' alien hero should be, leaving the real hero out in the cold." She sighed. "If the Daxamite bothers to show his face at the DEO again, shove him back in that cell…at least until we can find out what the hell he was thinking."

" _ **Done**_ ," Lucy confirmed. " _ **Get everyone back to base so we can figure out where we go from here**_."

"Yes, Ma'am." Alex turned to her fellow agents, most of whom were already gathered around the SUVs. "You heard Deputy Director Lane. Let's go." Everyone piled back in, with Jo joining her in the lead car, and soon most of them were on their way back to their downtown base. One car, containing the prisoners they were holding on to, split off to make the much longer trip to the desert. On arriving, the agents found the atmosphere on base surprisingly subdued. Kara pulled Alex into a tight hug, looking as though she might cry. Before the elder Danvers could ask what was going on, J'onn stepped into the center of the room.

"I have an announcement…."

TBC (And yes, I know they gave that alien a name in the last episode, but I'd long since written this chapter and didn't feel like changing it. Besides, Kol is a lot catchier than Boris. Now...I'm not normally one to beg for reviews, and my story won't change based on them, but I do appreciate the feedback. Lets me know what I'm getting right. And I'm especially interested to know how my take on Sanvers is working out. Feel free to leave one, or even just PM me. See you Tuesday!)


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks again for the favorites/follows/reviews. And to JQN, I can't really answer those questions without spoiling anything, so you'll just have to keep reading. This week's Supergirl was awesome (and I really liked getting a glimpse into Maggie's backstory), but it sucks that we have to wait a whole month for the next new one. At least we still have fanfic... Anyway, for the record, I wrote this section before we saw the full layout of Alex's apartment, so I wrote her having an actual bedroom instead of the open plan. Which works better for purposes of this story. Now on with the new chapter!

* * *

Walking into her apartment, Alex tossed her coat across the nearest chair and grabbed a bottle of the extra-potent rum Jo had gifted her with shortly after they'd met. After the day she'd had, getting blind drunk – or trying to, at any rate – sounded like the best possible plan. Not only was Lord's insane registration plan now in full effect, leaving Kara with an impossible choice, but the brass in Washington had ordered J'onn to transfer to one of the DEO's other facilities outside National City so that he wouldn't be subjected to the Act. Apparently, his true identity was an issue of national security that would be compromised if he was forced to register. So she and Lucy were now co-Directors of the National City facility – which would've been just fine if not for the shitstorm Lord was about to bring down on their heads. It was a pretty good bet that alien violence would be spiking over the next few weeks while the ARA went through its growing pains, and there was no way to predict what Lord might do to those who refused to comply. Some Martian Manpower would be a big help when the shit hit the fan, but with J'onn driven out of town by Lord's new law, Supergirl and the human agents were on their own. Alex just hoped that Winn and Sue could figure out that damned flash drive before things got really bad.

With a heavy sigh, the young immortal dropped onto her couch, pulling the cork from the bottle and taking a healthy swig. The rum burned a bit on its way down, but she welcomed the sensation. It was preferable to everything else she was feeling in the wake of Lord's latest stunt. One of the worst parts was the effect all of it was having on Kara. Between J'onn's departure and James and Mon-El's apparent defections, the Kryptonian was carrying a lot of misplaced guilt. And Alex's repeated attempts to convince her that Lord was the only one to blame didn't seem to be getting through. Starting tomorrow, the elder Danvers planned to use every resource at her disposal to tear apart the life Lord had built for himself this go-round and find some proof that her theory was correct and this was all part of some elaborate scheme to get rid of her sister. But that was tomorrow. Tonight, she just wanted to forget.

Alex took another long pull from the rum bottle, and was about to take yet another when someone knocked on her door. Grumbling a bit at the interruption, she set the bottle aside and went to answer, pulling the door open to find her favorite detective on the other side.

"Didn't forget about me, did you?"

"No…no, of course not. Come in." Alex stepped aside to allow Maggie entrance.

"You're a terrible liar, Danvers," the detective smirked, patting her cheek. "Good thing you're cute."

The immortal sighed, moving back to the couch and dropping down onto it once more. "Sorry. I've just had a really shitty day."

"Want to talk about it?" Maggie asked, joining her.

Alex shook her head. "My boss is being transferred."

"The Martian?"

"Yeah. And that's all I can tell you without violating a few dozen confidentiality laws. Sometimes, working for a black ops organization sucks."

"You could always transfer to the NCPD. I'm sure I could pull a few strings…get you into the science division. We already know we make an awesome team."

Another sigh. "Tempting as that sounds – and it really does – I think I can do more good where I am."

"It was a thought," Maggie shrugged, giving Alex a quick kiss before curling up against her. The immortal wrapped an arm around the detective, allowing herself to enjoy the moment – at least until it was interrupted by another knock. Maggie pulled away, reaching into her back pocket for her wallet. "I took the liberty of ordering pizza on my way here. Hope you don't mind."

Alex grinned. "Pizza sounds great." While Maggie took care of the delivery guy, the immortal went to the fridge and retrieved a couple of beers. It may not do much for her any more, but it still went better with pizza than rum (which she returned to its hiding spot before Maggie finished paying). She returned to the couch and cracked open both bottles, claiming one for herself just as the detective rejoined her, pizza in hand. Maggie grabbed the other beer and after a bit of debate, they decided on _Some Like it Hot_ to start the evening. Apparently, Marilyn Monroe had been the detective's first celebrity crush. Not that there was anything wrong with that….

The young immortal had never really been a fan of romantic comedies, but she couldn't deny that the movie Maggie picked out was fun. Maybe those types of movies were just more enjoyable when you were in some sort of relationship yourself.

Once the pizza and movie were both done, the two moved on to…other activities. Given their respectively terrible romantic histories, moving slow had seemed like the best possible plan, though there were times – like earlier today – when Maggie would say or do something that made her want to say 'screw it' and go full-speed ahead. So far, though, they'd both been able to more or less control themselves and stick to the plan, only going as far as they were both comfortable with. They hadn't crossed _that_ line just yet, but at the moment they were definitely skirting much closer to it than they ever had before.

At one point, Alex pulled away to catch her breath and caught sight of the clock, which showed that it was well after midnight. "Wow…where the fuck did the time go?"

Maggie frowned. "Are you kicking me out?"

"Never. But if you have to go…."

"I'm fine right where I am. Though perhaps we should move this elsewhere," she added, cutting her eyes towards the bedroom.

"T-that's a pretty big step. Are you sure?"

"Never been more sure of anything in my life, Danvers."

"Really? Because I don't want either of us to have any regrets."

In response, she pulled Alex into another lingering kiss, dispelling whatever doubts remained about where they were headed. "Trust me," she smiled. "I'm ready. Are you?"

Alex nodded. "Absolutely. As long as you call me Alex."

"I think I can manage that." They kissed again, and after turning the TV off the immortal allowed Maggie to lead her into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. She let the detective take the lead, and hearing her name fall from Maggie's lips as they explored this new territory was pure magic. Even when she slipped and used 'Alexandra' instead. Probably the first time in her life that Alex didn't feel the instant urge to correct someone for saying her full name. There was just something about the way Maggie said it that made her feel all warm and tingly inside. That, and the Spanish that occasionally came out when things got particularly heated. Alex had no idea what any of it meant, but the fact that Maggie was apparently comfortable enough to slip into a language she probably only ever used at home made what they had feel all the more meaningful. By the time they both exhausted themselves and fell asleep in each other's arms, Alex knew, deep down, that Maggie was it for her, and that she never wanted to be without the fiery detective ever again.

The next morning, Alex was jolted awake by a loud slam and some unusually colorful Kryptonese. Her bedroom door was still closed, but that didn't mean Kara hadn't seen anything. Judging by the way Alex could hear her muttering to herself, the Kryptonian had probably seen way more than she was ever meant to. "Fuck," she muttered, nudging her companion as she hit the light on her nightstand and glanced at the clock. 5:30 AM. _Kara had better have a good fucking excuse for barging in this fucking early…_

Maggie rolled over. "Five more minutes…."

"Sorry, Mags," Alex said, nudging her again. "I know it's super early, but I don't think we have that kind of time. My sister's here."

That did it. Maggie sat up, pulling the sheet up to her chest. "Where?"

"Out in the living room."

"So? She couldn't have seen anything." The detective fell silent for a moment as some of Kara's muttering filtered into the room. "What language is that?" Alex could practically see the wheels turning in Maggie's head as she put the information together. "Wait…that's her, isn't it? Your sister is Supergirl! That explains why our caped hero is always hanging around you."

Alex sighed. While she was normally hesitant to give out the information to anyone other than DEO agents, Maggie had long since proven herself trustworthy…especially when it came to alien-related stuff. And after last night, there was no chance that she wouldn't be a permanent part of their lives. Or as least as permanent as it could get when one partner was immortal and the other wasn't. "Yeah, that's her. Are you mad?"

"Nah…wasn't your secret to tell. Though it does kill several fantasies of mine…."

"Do I want to know?" the immortal asked, eyebrow raised.

Maggie shrugged. "Probably not. Guess we should get dressed before your sister has a stroke or something. Can Kryptonians even have strokes?"

"Really don't think this is the day to test that." Shaking her head, Alex slipped out of the bed and started collecting her clothes from where they'd ended up. "Have you seen my underwear?" Normally, she'd have just grabbed a fresh pair from her bureau, but with everything that had been going on she'd fallen behind on things like laundry.

"You mean these?" a half-dressed Maggie grinned, teasingly holding up the boy shorts Alex had been wearing the previous evening. Alex moved in to snatch them back, only to have the smaller woman slip away. "What do we say?" she taunted.

"Much as I'd love to play this game with you, I really don't think we need to traumatize my sister any further."

"You're no fun," Maggie pouted, tossing the shorts back and putting the rest of her clothes back on. She yelped as Alex, in one smooth move, tossed her onto the bed and pinned her down.

"To be continued," Alex laughed. She gave Maggie a quick kiss before letting her back up and getting dressed. Once they were both fully clothed, they left the room to find a rather red-faced Kara sitting on the couch, arms crossed and glaring like she wanted to blast them both. "You should've called, Kar."

"And _you_ should've told me that 'movie night' was code for something else, instead of letting me walk in on…whatever it is the two of you were up to."

"Sleeping?"

"You know what I mean," Kara grumbled. With a sigh, Alex shot the detective an apologetic look before joining her sister on the couch, wrapping an arm around the younger girl's shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Kara. Honestly, last night was…unexpected. If I'd known, I would've sent you some kind of warning. But it just kind of…you know…happened. And once it started happening, the only thing I could really think about was…well…"

"Okay, okay!" Kara shot up from the couch, raising her hands as she moved away from her sister. "Look," she sighed, crossing her arms again. "You are both consenting adults, and what you do is your business."

"Thank you."

"But would you mind telling me exactly how long this," she asked, gesturing between Alex and Maggie, "has been going on?"

"Technically," Maggie grinned, "last night was the first…"

Alex shook her head. "Not helping, Mags." She turned to Kara. "We've been kind of seeing each other for a few weeks now."

"Long enough to trust her with my secret?" Kara's eyebrow went up, and Maggie quickly stepped between her and Alex.

"In her defense, I guessed. I've had my suspicions for a while now, actually. This morning just confirmed them."

The Kryptonian sighed. "As long as you aren't planning to drag me to that registration office."

"Hell no," Maggie assured her. "Mayor Lord can go fuck himself. This registration stuff is bullshit, and I'll hand in my fucking badge before I let him turn me into some jackbooted thug for whatever the fuck he's planning."

Smiling, Alex got up and wrapped her arms around Maggie's waist from behind, leaning her chin on the smaller woman's shoulder. "I think that might just be the hottest thing I've ever heard you say," she murmured, dropping a soft kiss on the side of the detective's neck.

"Hotter than last night?"

"Well…maybe a close second."

Kara rolled her eyes. "And on that note, I'd better get to the office before Mr. Carr finds an excuse to fire me."

"Isn't it kind of early? I didn't think CatCo opened for another few hours, at least."

"Mr. Carr called an early meeting because of what happened at the opening yesterday. Anyway….Sorry for the early wake up. I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay after…you know…." She started for the door, and Alex somewhat reluctantly pulled away from Maggie to intercept.

"You don't have to leave," she told Kara softly. "If you need to talk, we can. I'm never too busy for you."

"I know. I'm fine…really."

"Are you sure?"

The Kryptonian sighed. "I'm doing as well as I can be, under the circumstances. But I really do have to get to work. I'll see you on base later, okay? We can talk then."

"Sure," Alex nodded. A moment later, Kara pulled her into a hug.

"I'm glad you found someone, Lexie," she whispered in her sister's ear. "I haven't forgotten the promise you made me before I flew Fort Rozz into space. It's past time you started doing things for yourself instead of focusing all of your energy on me."

"Thanks, Sis."

"But if she hurts you, I'll give her an ass-kicking she won't soon forget."

Alex laughed, backing up a pace. "I don't think that's going to be an issue."

"It better not be," Kara shot back, giving Maggie what Alex guessed was supposed to be an intimidating glare. Rolling her eyes, the immortal pulled her sister into one more hug before the younger girl sped off to work.

Once Kara was gone, Alex turned her attention back to the detective, who was grinning from ear to ear. "So…that was your sister?"

"Yep," Alex shrugged.

"Much less intimidating without the suit."

The immortal's eyebrow shot up. "You find her intimidating?"

"All that power? Who wouldn't?" Maggie shrugged. "But enough about her. I much prefer the tall, dark, and sexy Danvers."

"Oh, really?" Alex drawled, closing the distance between them and wrapping her arms around the detective's waist as Maggie hooked hers behind the immortal's neck. "You know…we still have some time before we have to report in to our jobs."

"Shall we pick up where we left off last night?"

Alex grinned. "My thoughts exactly." Smiling, Maggie pulled her close, whispering a few words of Spanish that the immortal was definitely going to have to look up later as the two returned to the bedroom.

Two hours later, the detective's motorcycle pulled up in front of the DEO to let Alex off. The base was only a block from the immortal's apartment, but after finishing their…activities…the two had made a detour to Noonan's for a short, pre-work coffee date. Taking off her helmet, Alex lifted the visor on Maggie's to give her a quick kiss. "Call me if anything comes up."

"Same to you. See you after work? Assuming, of course, there are no alien hijinks between now and then."

"Sounds like a plan." One more kiss, then Alex tucked her helmet under her arm and headed into the building as Maggie pulled her visor back down and sped off.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Danvers," Lucy quipped as the immortal entered the command center.

Rolling her eyes, Alex draped her coat across the nearest chair and set her helmet on the seat. "It's not like I'm late."

The former JAG lawyer frowned. "We're the Directors now. We should be here before everyone else…set the example."

"Right," Alex sighed. She'd almost forgotten about the sudden promotion. "Well, I'm here now." Her head started to buzz, and she glanced up to find a rather irritated Jo standing at the entrance to the corridor where the training rooms were located. "Just as soon as I…."

"Run off to do your super-secret training with Agent Truman?" Lucy finished. "I don't know what you two have been up to or why you have Vasquez scramble the feed whenever you're doing whatever it is, and frankly I don't care. Just as long as it doesn't interfere with your duties. Which need to take priority right now." She pulled a vial of blood from her pocket. "I dropped by the ARA office this morning and used one of those stealthy quick collectors you invented to get this off of James. After that press conference, I'm positive something's wrong with him. I was hoping you could run some tests to find out what."

Alex nodded, taking the vial from Lucy's hand. "Some of those tests can take a while, so I'll go ahead and get them started. By the time Jo and I are done, hopefully the tests will be as well."

"As long as it gets done. The sooner we figure out what the hell's going on with James, the sooner we can take Lord down and get things back to normal around here." Shaking her head, Lucy picked up a tablet and started scrolling through…something. "Your girlfriend doesn't have any useful information, does she?"

The young immortal's jaw dropped. "What? I don't…I mean…."

"Please," Lucy muttered, rolling her eyes. "You and Detective Sawyer have been sneaking around for weeks. Did you really think that none of us noticed? Okay, maybe your sister didn't, but that's normal for her. And even if we hadn't worked it out, the security cameras outside caught the detective dropping you off. Last I checked, friends didn't kiss each other goodbye like that."

Alex sighed. "Am I in some kind of trouble?"

"Why would you be in trouble? It's your life. I just can't understand why you thought you needed to hide it from everyone."

"Honestly? I just didn't want a bunch of agents breathing down my neck while I figured out just what it is that Maggie and I have. A little privacy is nice sometimes, you know?"

"Fair enough," Lucy shrugged. "You should probably get on those tests. I'd like to have something to tell your sister when she comes by later."

The young immortal nodded, sliding the vial into her pocket. "On it." She went to her lab and started setting up the tests that she knew would need time to run. Once that was done, Alex retrieved her coat from the chair she'd left it on and joined Jo in the training room. Her mentor noted some improvement in her sword drills, but by the end of the session she was still no closer to actually defeating the older immortal than she had been the previous day. She hit the showers to clean up and give her ribs and collarbone a chance to heal, and once she was back to full health the young immortal returned to her lab to check the tests. The initial ones didn't reveal anything, so Alex took more blood from the vial and ran some others. She got so focused that she lost track of time, not even realizing how late it had gotten until a brown paper bag was dropped on the desk in front of her. Finally glancing up from her work, Alex saw her sister standing next to her in the supersuit.

"Thought you might like something to eat. You tend to forget about things like that when you get hyper-focused on lab stuff."

Alex nodded, setting her work aside and moving to the bag. "Is that what I think it is?"

"If you're thinking about your favorite food truck…"

"I love you," the young immortal grinned, diving into the bag to find her go-to order. Suddenly realizing just how hungry she was, Alex started to wolf down the tacos, pausing only when she noticed her sister giving her a strange look. "What?"

"I thought I was the only one who got that excited about food."

The elder Danvers shrugged. "Sorry. Haven't eaten all day. Well…not unless you count—"

"Ew!" Kara squealed, holding up a hand to cut her off. " _Way_ too much information."

Chuckling softly at how easily she could get a rise out of her sister, Alex returned her attention to the bag, which was already almost empty. She was still a little hungry, but Jo had told her several times that, while immortal healing could make up for a lot, it didn't mean she could ignore things like proper nutrition. And a full bag of tacos was probably pushing it, delicious as they were. She held it out towards Kara as a sort of peace offering. Without a word, the Kryptonian accepted the remaining tacos and polished them off faster than Alex could even blink. "Guess I'm not the only one who was hungry."

"I did have to fly to Chicago for these."

"Which makes you the best sister ever."

"And takes a lot of energy." Shaking her head, Kara tossed the now-empty bag into the nearest trashcan and wandered closer to Alex's desk. "What are you working on, anyway?"

"Lucy somehow managed to get a blood sample off of James, and I'm testing it to see if there's anything that can explain the sudden change in behavior."

"And?" Kara asked, looking concerned (and a bit hopeful).

Alex shook her head. "Nothing yet, but I still have a few tests running." As she spoke, one of the machines started beeping and something popped up on her computer. She signaled for her sister to hang on a second and opened the new window. The immortal had to read through the results several times to be sure of what she was seeing. "Holy fuck," she muttered, loading the results to a thumb drive she had handy.

"Is that good?"

"Depends on your definition." Alex ejected the thumb drive and took it with her to the command center, Kara right on her heels. Lucy appeared to be in deep discussion with several field agents – including Jo – while Winn and Vasquez were still working on the flash drive from Lord's office. Winn was closer, so she moved behind him and snatched away his headphones to get his attention.

"Hey! Wha—"

Alex put the thumb drive into his hand before he could start babbling. "Put that up on the big screen."

"I'm a little—"

"Do it. Now."

Winn nodded, actually looking a bit scared. "Yes, Ma'am." He put the drive into his computer and hit a few keys. A moment later, the information filled the command center's main screen. "Whoa…what is that?"

"It's what I found in James' blood sample." As she spoke, the other agents in the command center drifted over. "I'm not 100% certain, but whatever it is, it has all of the properties of a parasite. Only it seems to have both biological and technological components."

"Yeah," Winn nodded, typing as fast as Alex had ever seen him do. "From what I'm seeing, it looks like the technological components are some kind of nanotech, and they're designed to function – at the very least – as a sort of on/off switch. Question is, for what?"

Alex shook her head. "Hard to say for sure without actually having James here to run more tests. This parasite is like nothing I've ever seen before. But it could definitely explain the behavioral changes. And if you're right about the nanites, there's no telling when he might have been exposed." She frowned as a thought occurred to her. "If those nanites are there to turn whatever it is on or off, is there any way to hack in and disable it remotely?"

"I'm afraid not. Whoever coded those things is some kind of super-evil mastermind. I've found evidence of a failsafe with a termination function."

"Termination? As in the program?"

"The subject."

"Fuck," Alex growled. "So either we leave James as Lord's personal puppet, or we try to fix it and more than likely end up killing him." There was a loud crash, and everyone turned to see Kara withdrawing her fist from what remained of the big round table. The table would be a bitch to replace, but at the moment the elder Danvers was more concerned about her sister's potentially explosive temper. The younger girl was visibly trembling with rage, and Alex found herself momentarily flashing back to the Red K incident. "Kara…."

The Kryptonian shook her head. "No, Alex. It's bad enough that Lord is abusing his authority to try and drive me out of town. Now he's messing with my friends' heads. James…probably Mon-El. Who knows how many others he's gone after with this thing? Do you really expect me to just stand by and do nothing?"

"Listen to me, Kara," she urged, closing the distance and laying her hands on her sister's shoulders. "I know you're pissed. I am too. But if you go after him like this, all you'll end up doing is proving to the world that he's right about aliens."

"So he just gets away with it…again?" the Kryptonian growled. She stepped back, pushing Alex's hands away.

"No. We'll get him, Kara. I promise. But you can't be a part of it."

"Try and stop me," Kara snarled, crossing her arms and glaring.

Jo stepped forward, hands raised. "She's right, Supergirl."

"Stay out of this, Sergeant," the hero snapped, somewhat uncharacteristically.

"I get that you're angry, but you shouldn't take it out on the people who are trying to help you."

"How is this helping? Lord's still out there, screwing with the people I care about!"

The older immortal sighed, taking another step closer to Kara. "Because, despite all you've seen and done here on this planet, you truly have no idea just how terrible we humans can be towards those who are different. History is littered with all kinds of atrocities. The Spanish Inquisition. Witch hunts. Slavery. The Trail of Tears. The Holocaust. Japanese Internment Camps. Rwanda. Somalia. I could go on all day. But what's been recorded only scratches the surface. There's no limit to the human imagination when it comes to ways to be cruel to their fellow man. And the moment an unregistered alien is seen going after the Mayor for no apparent reason – an alien with a known grudge against him, no less – it'll be open season on all extraterrestrials. It may only be National City at first, but given your fame, there's an excellent chance that it'll spread. Maybe even as far as Metropolis. Trust me when I say that the best thing you can do is not rise to his bait. Let us handle him."

Kara shook her head, not looking convinced. "You don't know him like I do. He's not going to stop until he's taken everything from me. Not unless I make him stop."

" _We_ will stop him," Alex declared, moving next to Jo. "I promise."

"How? You can't arrest him. And even if you could, his army of lawyers would have him out in no time."

The younger immortal's eyebrow shot up. "And what's _your_ plan? Kill him? Make him a fucking martyr for his fucking registration thing?"

"I don't know. But I can't just stand by and watch. Not anymore." She shoved past Alex and Jo and started for the exit, only to have Winn intercept. "Out of my way, Winn."

"No. We've been through this, Kara. If you go after Lord like this, you'll be turning your back on everything you stand for. I won't let that happen."

"How can you say that?" she shot back. "You saw what he did to James. Mon-El is probably under his influence, too. What's to stop him from going after you? Lucy? Alex? If I hadn't let you talk me out of finishing him last year, this wouldn't be happening right now. I have to end this, Winn. Whatever it takes." Before her friend had a chance to protest, she pushed him aside and resumed her path to the exit. She made it about halfway before all of the lights in the command center suddenly turned red, and Alex immediately recognized the contingency plan she and Lucy had put in place after J'onn got rid of the Kryptonite, just in case Kara ever needed to be contained. It wasn't something she enjoyed, but the young immortal was pragmatic enough to be prepared for the possibility – however remote – that they could be faced with another Red K-like incident. The current situation might not be quite that extreme, but Alex couldn't blame her co-Director for doing what she felt was necessary to protect her sister from herself.

Lucy rushed over and grabbed Kara's arm. The Kryptonian attempted to shove her away as well, but the red solar energy from the lights had sapped her strength. "Sorry, Supergirl," the co-Director muttered, cuffing Kara's hands behind her. "I can't let you jeopardize everything we've worked for."

Kara shook her head, trying in vain to break free. "Don't do this, Lucy," she begged.

"I have to. You're not thinking clearly right now. Your powers, combined with your temper, pose a potential threat to the city. And your vendetta against Lord – justified though it may be – could threaten the peaceful aliens living here if we let you go through with it. As Director, that's not something I can allow. I'm afraid we're going to have to hold you here until you calm down and start thinking rationally again." She gestured to a couple of other agents, who (somewhat reluctantly) took the younger Danvers by the arms. "Take her to holding cell 4B." The agents started pulling Kara in the direction Lucy had indicated, and as they passed Alex the Kryptonian planted her feet.

"Alex…please…."

The elder Danvers moved in front of her sister. "Sorry, Kara," she muttered, gently kissing the younger girl on the forehead. "I love you, but I'm with Lucy on this one. We can't let you back out there until your head's on straight."

"I hate you," Kara grumbled, glaring at her big sister.

Alex nodded. "I know. But better that than watching you throw everything away over that jackass." She turned to the agents escorting Kara. "Be gentle with her, okay?"

"Yes, Director." They resumed their course, and the hurt and betrayed look the younger Danvers shot her way as they disappeared into the cell block made Alex's stomach twist with guilt.

"I hate that we had to do that," she muttered, leaning back against a nearby pillar.

Lucy nodded, sitting down in the chair opposite her. "Me too. But what choice did we have? She wasn't listening to reason, and if she'd gone after Lord half-cocked like that…."

"She'd have set alien rights back even further than what the ARA has done," Alex finished. "I know." She shook her head. "Doesn't mean I have to like this. She's going to be so fucking pissed at us."

"Maybe," Lucy shrugged. "But, like you said, it's better than the alternative. If we're going to take Mayor Lord down, we have to be smart about it. Subtle. Not charging after him in a big red cape and giving the world reason to believe he's right about aliens." The co-Director sighed. "I'm not leaving her in there forever, Alex. Just until she's calmed down enough to hear us out. And I'll make sure she's properly fed – real food, not the crap we give to the actual prisoners – and that she has access to whatever she needs to keep up with her work at CatCo so she doesn't get fired. Promise. _When_ she gets out…that's up to her." As she spoke, Lucy brought up the feed for the cell she'd sent Kara to. Alex watched her sister pound her fists against the glass wall along the front until it was clear that no one would respond. Kara then kicked the toilet in frustration, only to wind up hopping around on one foot while holding the other one that she'd obviously managed to injure. Then – not learning from that experience – the Kryptonian slammed her fist into the nearest wall. She pulled it back quickly, a pained look crossing her features as she held that hand to her chest. Alex shut the feed off, unable to watch any more.

"Someone should go in there before she seriously hurts herself."

Lucy nodded, phone already in hand. "Dr. Hamilton's on her way. Maybe Kara will listen to her."

"Let's hope," Alex muttered. "In the meantime, what are we going to do about Lord? If Kara was right about one thing, it's that we can't just sit back and let him get away with using her friends as puppets in his latest scheme."

"Well, I've been researching to try and find some way to challenge the ARA in court…get it declared unconstitutional. Problem is, even with the President's Alien Amnesty Act, aliens aren't human and the law doesn't recognize them as such. Plus, challenging Lord's registration thing could open the door to challenge Amnesty, since it also involves registration. The President's version may be voluntary, but still…."

"I'm sure your brilliant legal mind will come up with a solution if one exists. But what about Lord himself? Even I know that court stuff can take forever, and with him pulling James' strings we don't have that kind of time."

"What we need," Winn chimed in, "is some way to disable that techno-parasite and free James from its control…preferably without frying his brain in the process. And the only one with those answers is Lord."

Alex cracked her knuckles, grinning almost evilly. "I think it's time he and I had a little chat." She started for the motor pool, only for Jo to intercept.

"Actually, _I_ should go."

Lucy gave her a confused look. "No offense, Agent Truman, but you don't know Lord like we do."

"Exactly," Jo nodded. "I can be objective…get the information without feeling tempted to beat him to a pulp just for breathing. Can't risk him adding the DEO to his list of anti-registration terrorist groups because an agent gets a bit overzealous." She gave Alex a rather pointed look, and the younger immortal raised her hands in surrender.

"Fine," she muttered. "Just be careful. Lord may be a massive dick, but he's also a certified genius. No telling what he might pull."

"Duly noted." Jo pulled out a phone Alex hadn't seen before. "I may have dropped a burner phone in Lord's desk drawer when we stopped by his office a few weeks ago. It's the only contact on this one and vice-versa." She hit the call button and headed for the motor pool. Once she'd gone, Lucy crossed her arms and glared at her co-Director.

"What the hell were you two doing in Lord's office a few weeks ago?"

"Where do you think we found that flash drive?"

Lucy sighed. "Did you at least go through the proper channels?"

"What proper channels? We don't officially exist."

"Right," she muttered. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear any of that." Shaking her head, she got up and headed for her office. Alex figured she'd probably hole up in there for at least a few hours while trying to figure out what kind of trouble they could be in over that and how to get them out of it if need be. Either that, or getting blind drunk while trying to reconcile her lawyerly ethics with running an agency that, by definition, was entirely outside the law.

Alex turned to Winn. "Are Jo's coms on?"

"Hang on." He returned to his computer and started typing. "Yep. Not broadcasting at the moment, but the tracking part is active. Why?"

"Because I don't trust Lord farther than you can throw him. No offense."

He frowned. "Me neither, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Where's that fancy motorcycle helmet you made me?"

Winn stared for a moment, clearly having trouble following her train of thought. "I stashed it in the armory."

"Good. It has built-in coms, right?"

"Coms, heads-up display, various imaging modes including thermal and night-vision….All voice activated. Again…why?"

"I'm going after her to make sure Lord doesn't pull a fast one. Patch her coms in through the one in the helmet, and send the tracking info to it as well."

"Yes, Ma'am," he nodded. Satisfied, Alex swung by the armory for the helmet and, after retrieving her coat and sword, made her way to the motor pool. Several of the bikes had sword mounts – which would save her the awkwardness she'd experienced that morning trying to keep her sword from throwing off the balance on Maggie's without alerting her to its presence – and she grabbed the nearest one, sliding her sheathed blade into place and using the coat to conceal it. She put the helmet on and, after several tries, managed to activate it. Jo's GPS signal appeared on the heads-up display, and she kicked the bike into gear and headed right for it. The signal was coming from St. Jude's Church downtown. ' _Holy Ground. At least Lord can't hurt her there…I hope…_ '

As she navigated the city streets in search of the church building, the coms crackled to life. " _ **I was starting to think you wouldn't show**_ ," she heard Jo mutter.

" _ **I'm hurt,**_ " Lord responded. " _ **Who doesn't love a good clandestine meeting in a church?**_ " There was a brief pause, and Alex imagined Jo giving him one of her annoyed glares. " _ **Okay, forget the small talk. What do you want?**_ "

" _ **I want to know what the hell you put inside James Olsen, and who else you put it into.**_ "

Lord laughed. " _ **And you think I'm going to give you the answer? Just like that?**_ "

" _ **No.**_ " Alex heard the sound of flesh meeting flesh, and a pained groan from Lord. ' _So much for not beating him to a pulp…_ '

" _ **Hey,**_ " he whined. " _ **What happened to no violence on Holy Ground?**_ "

" _ **The rules just say I can't finish you here. Not that I can't smack you around.**_ " Another blow. " _ **Now tell me what the fuck you did!**_ "

" _ **Whoa…language!**_ "

Alex heard yet another blow land. " _ **This is just the tip of the fucking iceberg**_ ," Jo growled. " _ **We know you put something inside Olsen to control him. Tell me what the fuck it is and how to stop it, or you're going to have yourself a bad fucking day.**_ "

" _ **So your DEO pals found my technosite**_ ," Lord chuckled. " _ **Technological parasite. Well…biotechnological parasite, if you want to get specific, but technosite sounds so much cooler. Impressive, huh? I engineered it myself from some alien DNA I came across. The biological part suppresses certain portions of the frontal lobe, making the host highly suggestible, and the technological part allows me to control when it activates. Best part is, there's no way to identify possible hosts, since they act completely normal…at least until the technosite starts taking control. And the longer it's active, the harder it will be to get it out and reverse the effects. There is an antidote, of course…one that only I can produce.**_ "

" _ **You son of a bitch**_ ," Jo snarled. " _ **What the fuck do you want?**_ "

" _ **Ideally, I'd like for the DEO and all of its little alien friends to clear out of my city. But I'll settle for them staying out of my business.**_ "

" _ **Not going to happen.**_ "

" _ **Didn't think it would. But let's make it interesting. Why don't you and I go someplace a little less sacred and settle this properly? You win, you get what you need to save Supergirl's favorite photographer. I win…well…I think that goes without saying.**_ "

"Don't do it, Jo," Alex muttered, though she wasn't sure the older immortal's coms were transmitting both ways. She was about a block away from the church, but stuck behind a bus that traffic wouldn't let her maneuver around. "Keep stalling. I'm almost there."

" _ **Why should I trust you?**_ " she heard Jo ask.

" _ **You don't have a choice...not if you want to help Olsen. Though I'm not really sure why you care so much, other than your poor taste in friends.**_ "

" _ **Let's just say I have a real issue with anyone being used as a slave. If I go, it has to be by the book. No tricks.**_ "

" _ **Wouldn't dream of it**_."

At that, the coms suddenly cut out with a loud screech. Once her eardrums recovered, Alex tried to reactivate them, but to no avail. Traffic finally opened up enough for her to get around the bus and she raced to the church. She activated thermal imaging as she approached, but didn't see anyone inside who didn't obviously belong there. "Fuck!" Shutting down the thermal scan, she activated the coms connected to the base. "Winn, do you copy?"

" _ **Loud and clear, Director. What do you need?**_ "

"I lost contact with Truman, and she and Lord aren't at the church anymore. Can you track them?"

" _ **Hang on.**_ " She heard nothing but typing for the next several moments. " _ **Okay. Just before you got there, satellites picked up a town car pulling out of the parking lot and heading south on 6**_ _ **th**_ _ **Street.**_ "

"Any chance you might be able to figure out where they're heading?"

" _ **Working on it. I'll send the updates to your helmet's HUD.**_ "

"Thanks." Alex steered her bike onto 6th street, heading south, and followed whatever directions Winn fed to her helmet as they appeared. She soon found herself approaching the park in the center of town. If Lord was planning what she thought he might be, he was certainly making a show of it. Clearly, no one had taught him the meaning of discretion. Parking her bike at the edge of the park, Alex activated the night-vision mode in her helmet and used the zoom function to try and get a picture of what she might be walking into.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and she yanked the helmet free before she was blinded. When her eyes readjusted, Alex saw what looked like a freak lightning storm over the park. Jo had briefly mentioned what was supposed to happen when one immortal took another's head, but seeing it was an entirely different matter. "Please let that be Lord," she muttered, pulling her sword from the scabbard and making a beeline for the center of the storm.

TBC (Not looking good, is it? Feel free to drop some reviews - especially now that the plot is in full swing - and I'll see you on Friday!)


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks again for the favorites/follows/reviews so far. Only 24 days until the next new episode...

* * *

By the time Alex reached the scene, the lightning had dissipated and everything seemed almost normal. But the sight that greeted her was far from normal...whatever that word even meant anymore. There was a body laying face-down over the edge of the park's fountain, clad in a DEO-issue tactical suit. And a few feet away lay the head of her mentor. "No," Alex gasped, dropping to her knees beside the body and losing the tacos she'd eaten just a few hours earlier. So many emotions hit her at once that she was hard-pressed to make sense of them all. She was furious at Lord for taking Jo, scared of what would happen to her without Jo's guidance, and sad that Jo was gone. Maybe not as sad as she'd have been if it was someone she was really close to, like J'onn or – God forbid – Kara, but she'd still felt enough of a connection with the older immortal to grieve the loss. As she tried to process everything, Alex caught sight of a bullet wound in Jo's back, and rage came to the forefront. "Motherfucker didn't even give her a fucking chance," she snarled, gripping the hilt of her sword as she climbed back to her feet. The sensation of an approaching immortal hit and she whirled around, practically begging for it to be Lord.

The next thing Alex knew was pain as several shots rang out and bullets lodged themselves in her stomach. She found herself once more on her knees, this time staring up at the vile man responsible for everyone's misery. "So, the alien's big sister is one of us," he grinned, twirling the pistol like he thought he was in some old western. "Guess Mama Danvers is the only normal one in the family after all."

"Fucking bastard," Alex growled, gritting her teeth as she waited for the wounds to heal. Which didn't seem to be happening. If anything, it was getting worse. "What the fuck did you do?"

"Laced the bullets with an alien poison I discovered. Can't remember which species it came from, but I've been told that it's like fire ants on steroids. Any minute now, you'll start feeling like you're burning alive from the inside out, and it'll only get worse until you finally keel over and die. And even then, it may take several resurrections to completely purge it from your system. Your friend there is the lucky one," he added, gesturing towards Jo's remains.

"Motherfucker!" Alex swung her blade, but the poison was already starting to take effect and Lord was able to avoid the swing with little effort. He kicked the sword from her hand, then used that same foot to force her onto her back.

"That's probably true," he shrugged. "Doesn't change the fact that I'm the one in control right now."

"Why not just take my head and get it the fuck over with?"

Lord shook his head. "Lucky for you, I have bigger plans. Much bigger." A siren sounded nearby, and the billionaire pocketed his gun. "That's my cue. See you around, Danvers." He walked away, leaving Alex writhing in pain as the fire he spoke of made itself known...starting in her stomach where the bullets had struck and spreading out from there, working its way through her entire body. It was all she could do not to give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream.

She heard someone call her name, and turned her head to see Maggie rushing to her side. "What the fuck happened?" the detective demanded, pulling off her coat and pressing it into the wounds as she reached for her radio. Somehow, Alex found the strength to pull the radio away before she could make the call.

"No bus," Alex rasped, shaking her head. "No hospital."

"You can't fucking be serious."

"Please..."

Maggie sighed. "At least let me get you to the DEO, then."

"No. Not there. Home."

"What the fuck, Danvers?"

"What happened to 'Alex?'"

"You'll get that back when I get an explanation as to what the fuck is going on."

Alex nodded. "Later...I promise. Just get me home."

"Fine," the detective huffed. "I still need to call the body in."

As Maggie spoke, the young immortal spotted a black van pulling into the park. "I think it's taken care of."

"What the...?"

"Trust me...please."

"Whatever." Maggie took off her belt and cinched it around Alex's waist to hold the coat in place and keep the pressure on. She then carefully pulled Alex to her feet, and the immortal had to bite back a scream at the pain the movement caused. "Sorry, Danvers. You don't want a hospital, so you're going to have to suck it up."

"Noted," Alex nodded. They started forward, and the immortal spotted something rather important on the ground. "Sword," she rasped, pointing it out to her companion.

"Seriously?" Alex gave her a pleading look, and the detective maneuvered them over so she could pick it up without releasing her grip on the wounded agent. "This explanation had better be really fucking good, Danvers," she grumbled, handing the blade over. "We're way past my weirdness quota for the day."

"It will be...promise."

"I fucking hope so." She carefully deposited Alex into the back of her unmarked car, then walked away for a moment, returning with the scabbard and helmet from Alex's bike. Maggie grabbed the sword from the immortal and sheathed it. The detective then slammed the door shut and climbed into the driver's seat, tossing the helmet and sword onto the passenger seat as she started the car. "Is there _anyone_ I can call?"

Forcing down another scream as the pain from the poison intensified, Alex dug her phone from her pants pocket and tossed it to the detective. "Vasquez," she instructed. "Second number." Sue had set up a secured line for talking about immortal business, but this was the first time Alex had ever needed to use it. She just hoped it would be as secure as Vasquez had promised.

Maggie dialed the number Alex had indicated and put the phone on speaker as she pulled away from the park. " _ **Alex?**_ "

"It's Detective Sawyer," Maggie answered. "Your agent managed to get herself shot, and the damned fool is refusing to go to a hospital or anything. Insists I take her home."

" _ **Do what she says, Detective. I'll meet you there.**_ " The line went dead, and Maggie briefly twisted around to give Alex a weird look before returning her eyes to the road.

"So I'm guessing Vasquez is in on...whatever this is. Should I be hurt that you told her first?" Alex groaned, her body in too much pain for her to form a coherent answer. "Danvers?" Another groan. Swearing under her breath, Maggie turned on her sirens and hit the gas, weaving through traffic in a way that Alex would've found pretty badass if she'd been able to actually enjoy it. As it was, every bump and sharp turn just made the already-excruciating pain spike.

Mercifully, the way Maggie was driving got them to her apartment in record time. Vasquez was already outside, along with Dr. Hamilton. Though she wasn't particularly thrilled about having the Watcher at her place, at this point Alex was in too much pain to argue. Between Sue and Maggie, they were able to get the wounded immortal into the elevator and to her apartment without drawing too much attention. The doctor was right behind them, apparently having retrieved Alex's sword and motorcycle helmet from the car. "On the table," Hamilton ordered, dropping the items she'd brought in on the kitchen island and rushing ahead to clear space. Once the placemats and centerpiece had been unceremoniously shoved to the floor, Sawyer and Vasquez brought Alex over and carefully laid her out on top of the table as instructed. The doctor immediately undid the belt and pulled the coat away from the wounds. She glanced at Vasquez. "Get my bag."

"Yes, Ma'am." The junior agent disappeared momentarily, returning with what Alex assumed was the doctor's kit.

"Thank you," Hamilton nodded. "Would you mind getting the light, Detective?" Maggie immediately moved to flip the switch for the one over the table. Once she could see properly, the doctor started examining the wounds more closely. "Why aren't these healing?"

"Poison...bullets..." Alex managed, just barely able to get the words out.

Hamilton frowned. "What kind of poison?"

"Alien," the immortal groaned. "It burns."

"Right," the doctor nodded. "First order of business is to remove the bullets. Unfortunately, we're going to have to do this the hard way, as I can't risk mixing an anesthetic with an unknown poison."

Alex shook her head. "Don't care. Do it."

"Very well." Hamilton turned to the other two. "Unless either of you have something handy to tie Director Danvers down with, I'm going to need you to hold her still for me."

"Of course," Maggie nodded, moving over by Alex's head, only to have Sue push her out of the way.

"I've got a better idea." Alex felt arms wrap around her throat. A moment later, something snapped, putting her out of her misery.

Some time later, the immortal surged back to life with a loud gasp. It took a few moments to regain her bearings, at which point she realized she'd been moved to her bed. Someone (hopefully Maggie) had also changed her into pajamas. She lifted the shirt to find that her stomach was as good as new. Next thing she knew, Alex was practically tackled by a certain detective, who kissed her breathless before smacking her hard enough to leave a bruise (at least momentarily). "Don't ever fucking do that to me again, Danvers!" Maggie growled.

"Sorry," Alex shrugged, not sure what else to say. She glanced past the detective to see Hamilton and Vasquez enter the room, the latter sporting a rather nasty shiner. Courtesy of Maggie, no doubt, as the immortal couldn't imagine that her lover would've taken too well to watching someone kill her when they were supposed to be helping.

Dr. Hamilton moved to the other side of the bed and started looking Alex over. "How are you feeling, Director?"

"Fine, I guess. A lot better than when you brought me in."

"Any trace of the poison?"

"I don't—" A sudden wave of pain shot through Alex's body, and she recalled what Lord said about possibly needing to die and come back several times to get rid of the poison completely. "Fuck..." Feeling the burning sensation intensify, the immortal shot out of bed and grabbed Vasquez by the shirt. "What you did earlier...I need you to do it again."

"Ma'am?"

Alex shook her head, biting back a scream. "Whatever poison that fucker used, it's back. So I want you to snap my neck again, and keep doing it until I tell you to stop. It's the only way to get all of this shit out of my system. Please..."

"Alright," Sue nodded, helping Alex back onto the bed. She glanced over at Maggie. "Please don't hit me this time." Without waiting for a response, the junior agent wrapped her arms around the Director's neck once more and, again, Alex felt something snap, plunging her into a blissful oblivion.

It took about half a dozen tries before Alex was able to revive without the burning sensation returning. By that time, it was mid-morning. Vasquez called into the DEO on her behalf, and Maggie had apparently called out as well. Dr. Hamilton left once it was clear she was no longer needed, and the remaining two had used the time Alex spent 'dead' to get her apartment back in order – all of which she learned after stumbling out of the bedroom to give them the good news. "Are you sure you're okay?" Maggie asked, guiding her to the couch and helping her put her feet up despite her protests.

"I'm fine, Mags. And I really should get to work." Alex tried to get up, but the detective wouldn't allow it.

"I just watched you die and come back like 6 times. If there was ever a good reason to play hooky, I'd say this qualifies. And if you think I'd just let you leave without giving me a proper explanation..."

Alex sighed. "Fair enough. Sue...?"

"I was just leaving," the junior agent replied, moving to the door. "I'll tell Kara you'll be by later. Assuming, of course, that she's in the mood to listen." With that, Vasquez walked out, leaving Alex and Maggie alone. The detective's eyebrow shot up as she joined Alex on the couch.

"Why does Agent Vasquez have to give your sister a message for you?"

"We kind of had to lock her up last night."

"What? Why the fuck would you do that to your own sister?"

"She didn't leave us much choice." Another sigh. "Last night, we found evidence that Mayor Lord was using some kind of engineered parasite to turn her friend James Olsen into his own personal puppet. I haven't seen her that angry since that mind-altering substance sent her on a rampage, and that wasn't really her. This was. And if she'd gone after Lord in that state..."

"She'd have given him all the ammunition he needs to ramp up whatever plans he's making to deal with the aliens." Maggie shook her head. "Still seems kind of harsh. I mean, I can't blame her for being pissed. If it were me, I'd have castrated the fucker with my 9mm."

"Ouch," Alex cringed. "And I don't like it any more than you do. But I'd rather have Kara where we can keep an eye on her than risk the alternative. Better for us to handle that motherfucker."

"Is that what you were doing in the park last night? Was Lord the one who shot you?"

The immortal nodded. "Jo – Agent Truman – went to meet with him last night in hopes of getting some info on the parasite, since it wasn't as personal for her. I didn't trust Lord to play fair, so I followed them. They talked at St. Jude's for a while and I listened in through Jo's coms. Then the coms cut out and they were gone by the time I got to the church. Winn helped me track them to the park, and when I arrived...well...you saw the end result." Her voice caught, and she felt Maggie's hand on her knee.

"I'm sorry. I take it you and Truman were close?"

"Sort of," Alex shrugged, wiping at her eyes. "We met just before Lord first announced that fucking ARA deal, and she was helping me figure out some stuff."

"Does that 'stuff' have anything to do with why her head was detached from her body and I was asked to respond to reports of 'alien activity' in the park?"

Another nod. "The freak lightning storm was the result of her head being cut off." She remembered what Jo had said about not outing her, but at this point the cat was already out of the bag. And her late mentor was beyond caring, anyway.

"Right," Maggie muttered. She got up, returning a moment later with Alex's sword. "With this?"

Alex shook her head. "That one's mine, actually. I don't know what Lord used. Only that the fucker shot Jo first so she couldn't defend herself."

"And you have a sword because...?"

"I'm immortal," Alex finally said, after a moment. "Have been since that fight with the Gordanians I told you about. Apparently, that Branx actually killed me, and when it did, some dormant gene was activated that halted the aging process and gave me regenerative capabilities to rival Kara's. Better, even, since – last I checked – Kara can't come back from the dead. On the downside, it also stuck me in some ancient 'game' where others like me will be looking to take my head off – the only way I can permanently die – in order to gain my power or some shit like that. Hence the sword," she added, sitting up and reclaiming the blade. Looking it over, she found herself reliving the moment a few days prior when it was first given to her. She idly twisted it in her hands, fighting back tears. "Jo's real name was Josephine Trudeau. She was born a slave, disguised herself as a boy after she escaped North, enlisted in the 54th Massachusetts when it was formed, and died for the first time at Fort Wagner. Someone found her afterwards and taught her how to survive as an immortal, and that's what she was doing for me. It's sort of a tradition, I guess. Only our time was cut short by Maxwell fucking Lord, whom I still know next to nothing about beyond his official bio and what I learned from our past interactions." She sighed. "Jo was trying to keep Lord from figuring out that I was like them, but now that ship has fucking sailed. Fucker shot me, then left me to suffer because he has 'bigger plans,' whatever the fuck that means." Alex glanced over at Maggie, who had sort of an odd look on her face. "You okay?"

"It's just a lot to take in, you know?"

"I'm sorry," the immortal muttered, setting her sword aside and withdrawing even further to her end of the couch. "You don't have to stay. Or come back...ever. I get it."

Maggie shook her head, scooting next to Alex. "I never said I was leaving, Danvers. Just need a minute to wrap my head around all of this. You give up way too fucking easily."

"Wait...you're not freaked out?"

"Didn't say that. But if I wanted normal, I'd have settled down with some cornhusker and adopted a bunch of kids. Trust me: normal is overrated."

Alex snorted. "I'm not even sure what that word means anymore."

"Who the hell does?" Maggie shrugged. The two lapsed into silence for a few moments, and then the detective reached forward and gently tilted Alex's head so that their eyes met. "I'm not going anywhere, Alex," she assured the immortal. "Don't shut me out, or try to 'protect' me from whatever is going on. I can handle it."

Alex shook her head. "I can't grow old with you."

Another shrug. "I could get shot in the line of duty tomorrow. And if, by some chance, this job doesn't kill me, having an eternally young and sexy lover sounds pretty awesome. I don't care if people start calling me a cradle-robber."

"What about kids? I can't have those, either."

The detective's eyebrow shot up. "Who says I want them? Right now, I think our jobs are way too dangerous to even consider it. And it's not like we could have them without help, anyway. If we ever did decide we wanted kids, there are plenty of options. I could carry them. Or we could adopt. Seemed to work out pretty well for your sister."

"I was adopted too, actually. Except the Danvers' are the only family I've ever known. Jo...she said something once about all immortals starting out as foundlings. No idea what that means in terms of where I came from, but it doesn't matter. Family is more than blood, after all."

"Damn straight," Maggie grinned. Her expression softened a moment later as she wrapped an arm around Alex's shoulders. "Was Jo part of that family?"

Alex nodded, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. "Sort of. Not nearly as close as Kara, but if we'd had more time..."

"I'm sorry. She must have been pretty special to have survived as long as she did...especially with the shit she had to have gone through just being who she was."

"Yeah," the immortal sighed, wiping her face. "She lived through shit I couldn't even begin to imagine, only to have it all brought to a screeching halt in mere seconds by Mayor Fuckwad. And he'll probably get away with it, too, since he's basically made himself untouchable."

Maggie shook her head, giving Alex's shoulders a somewhat-comforting squeeze. "We'll get him, babe. I promise. If you want to go to the precinct and make a statement, I'll gladly fill out the arrest warrant myself. Not even Lord is above the law."

"Awesome as that sounds, it won't work. I didn't actually see Lord kill Jo, and there's no evidence of what he did to me…not without exposing immortals to the world. And even if we could arrest him, either his lawyers would get him right back out on the streets or he'd kill himself and walk out of the morgue to start this shit over someplace else." With another sigh, she turned to meet Maggie's gaze. "The only way we'll ever get justice for what happened to Jo is the permanent way, but that can't happen as long as Lord's in the public eye. Like Jo told me last night, he might as well be on Holy Ground – the one place we're not allowed to whack each other's heads off. It's fucking hopeless."

"And I thought I was the cynic in this relationship." At that, Alex broke, and Maggie instinctively pulled her even closer, allowing the immortal to lay her head in her lap. Alex could feel the detective stroking her hair as she finally let loose the tears she'd been holding back since finding Jo's body. "I know it's not exactly the same thing, but back when I was a rookie in Gotham my training officer got shot in the line of duty – right in front of me. Everyone said there was nothing I could've done. Didn't stop me from feeling guilty, though. I'd only been riding with him a few weeks, but his death still hit me pretty hard. It took a month before I could go on patrol without freaking out every time someone pulled a gun, and even longer to stop replaying that night in my head and wondering if there was anything I could've done differently."

"Sorry," the immortal muttered.

Maggie shook her head. "I'm fine. It was years ago. Point is, I kind of get what you're going through right now. You're not alone."

"I'm so fucking terrified, Mags," Alex breathed, grabbing the detective's hand and pulling it to her chest for comfort. "Jo was the only other immortal I've ever met aside from Lord, and I know I'm nowhere near ready to survive this stupid fucking 'game' on my own. What the fuck am I supposed to do if someone comes for my head? I couldn't even beat Jo when we sparred."

"We'll figure this out, Alex. Together." She gently nudged Alex so that the immortal was looking up at her and used her thumb to wipe away her tears. Though she was far from over Jo's death, Maggie's declaration made Alex feel like there might be some hope after all. 'Stronger together,' like her sister always said. "I don't suppose there's some sort of immortal Craigslist we could consult?" Maggie continued.

Alex laughed, which made the detective smile. "No Craigslist, but immortals all get their own personal stalkers."

"Stalkers?" Maggie asked, eyebrow raised once more.

"Some secret society that call themselves 'Watchers.' They've made it their mission in life to follow us around and record our lives for posterity on the off-chance that this so-called 'game' actually has an endpoint and we all disappear."

"And I take it you know at least one."

The immortal nodded. "Joe Dawson. He's retired, supposedly, but currently owns the immortal equivalent to that dive bar we hang out at. Hamilton is one, too, but we're both kind of pretending that we don't know what the other is."

"Except for last night and the impromptu surgery."

"Yeah," Alex shrugged, sitting back up. "But if we're going to track down another immortal, I get the feeling that Dawson would be our best bet." Her phone buzzed, and she picked it up to find a new text from the man in question (though she had no idea how he even knew her number). "Speaking of…."

"What's up?"

"Dawson. Wanted to let me know that Jo's remains have been taken care of according to her wishes – whatever that means – and that he's hosting a wake for her at the bar two nights from tonight."

"Those Watchers work fast," Maggie muttered. "I'm guessing that the black van we saw last night was one of theirs."

Alex nodded. "Probably don't want the cops sniffing around and asking questions."

"Makes sense. I remember a few weird beheading cases back in Gotham that got quite a bit of attention. Drove me crazy at the time, trying to figure out who could've done it and how." She sighed. "What do we know about these Watcher guys? Other than what you already told me, I mean."

The immortal shook her head. "Nothing. Jo was more concerned with training than talking about that stuff." She turned to meet Maggie's eyes. "Will you go with me to the wake? I get the feeling that I'm about to meet a lot more immortals and I don't want to be in there alone."

"Of course," the detective grinned, taking Alex's hand and lacing their fingers together. "I'd go even if it was just going to be you and Dawson there with a bunch of booze. Like I said, we're in this together." Maggie pulled the immortal in close once more, releasing her hand and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You know, you should ask Kara to come too. Once she's over being pissed at you for locking her up – which, by the way, I wouldn't blame her for, even though I understand why you had to – I'm sure she'd want to support you in this as well."

"Not an option, Mags."

Maggie frowned, a confused look crossing her features. "Why not? I thought you two didn't have secrets."

"I can't tell her about this…not yet. Not as long as Lord is still a threat. If Kara knew the truth, she'd stick her nose in where it didn't belong and end up getting herself killed. And since Lord is one of the few outside the DEO who knows how to do just that, it's a risk I'm not willing to take."

"You can't keep this from her forever."

"And I won't," Alex assured her. "As soon as Lord is no longer a problem, I'll come clean about everything." She sighed, reaching out and putting a hand on Maggie's knee. "If it makes you feel better, you have my permission to fill her in if anything should ever happen to me in the field before we finish Lord and my head is still attached. Wouldn't want to freak her out over nothing."

"As long as you promise not to start taking stupid chances just because you have these fancy healing abilities now. Knowing you'll come back doesn't make watching you die any easier. Today was traumatizing enough."

Cracking a smile, Alex shifted their positions and pulled the detective in for a gentle kiss. "I promise," she whispered, once they parted. "No stupid chances. No more than usual, anyway."

"I'll take what I can get," Maggie chuckled, initiating another kiss. They soon became lost in each other, the outside world falling away until the buzzing of Alex's phone yanked them back to reality. Cursing under her breath, the immortal picked up the offending piece of technology, letting out an annoyed huff when she saw the message.

"Looks like the DEO just got word on Jo's disappearance. Lucy wants me to come in for a debrief, since I was the last to see her alive."

Frowning, Maggie plucked the phone from Alex's hands. "I'll tell her she's going to have to wait. You need time to process all of this before facing the fucking inquisition."

"It's fine," Alex shrugged, taking the phone back before the detective could type anything. "I'd rather get it over with now so we can get back to finding a way to take Lord down. Though I'm not exactly sure what I can tell her without exposing the whole immortal thing."

"I thought the DEO specialized in the weird stuff. Not that I'm calling you weird or anything…."

"We do, but this is different. Number one, if anyone other than those who already know found out, it would only be a matter of time before it got back to Kara. And I already told you how bad an idea that would be."

Maggie nodded. "And number two…?"

"I promised Dawson I'd leave his niece out of the immortal stuff."

"His niece…. Lane?"

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "He doesn't want her involved, and I intend to respect his wishes unless there's no other option."

"Fair enough. But if you're going in, I'm coming with you. No arguments," the detective added, before Alex could even open her mouth. "Let's get you dressed, and while we're at it we can figure out a cover story for Lane."

"I can dress myself, you know."

"I know," Maggie smirked. "But isn't it more fun when I help?"

"Well…when you put it like that…." She let the detective lead her back into the bedroom, and it was several hours before they left for the DEO.

TBC (Sorry I had to kill Jo, but I'm afraid it was necessary to move the plot forward. Feel free to yell at me in the review section. See you Tuesday!)


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks again for the favorites/follows/reviews. And to JQN, I don't take requests. The story is already complete and I'm just posting what I've written. I appreciate the enthusiasm, though. Now, on to the next chapter...

* * *

When they finally got around to walking over to the DEO building, the two ran into a bit of trouble at the front door. Alex had to convince security to let Maggie through – never mind that the detective had visited the base previously for medical attention and should've already been cleared – after which the pair headed to the command center where Lucy was apparently waiting. The former JAG lawyer frowned. "Last I checked, this wasn't 'bring your girlfriend to work' day, Danvers."

"And last I checked, you weren't my boss," Alex challenged, instinctively grabbing Maggie's hand as she stared Lucy down.

Her co-Director sighed. "Fair enough. But that still doesn't explain you bringing a civilian in."

Alex opened her mouth to respond, but Maggie beat her to it. "I'm here for moral support, since you decided it was a good idea to drag her in for a fucking interrogation."

"Your girlfriend is being a bit overdramatic," Lucy muttered, rolling her eyes.

The young immortal shrugged, not bothering to correct her co-Director. She and Maggie hadn't made anything official yet, but the status of their relationship was hardly Lucy's business. "Maybe, but if you want to talk to me, she stays."

"Fine. She can hang out here with Winn."

Maggie started forward to protest, but Alex shook her head and squeezed the detective's hand. "It's fine," she whispered, pulling Maggie in for a quick kiss. "Just knowing you're this close is all I need."

"Just don't take too long," the detective shot back, raising her voice enough for Lucy to hear.

Smiling, Alex kissed her once more. "I'll fill Lucy in on last night, check in on my sister, and then we can go wherever you want."

"Sounds like a plan. I'm sure I can find some way to entertain myself until then."

"Just try not to break Winn. If you do, I'll never hear the end of it from Kara."

Maggie laughed. "Don't worry…I'll play nice. You just go get whatever this is over with so we can bail."

"Will do," Alex nodded, giving the detective one more kiss, then shed her coat and handed it off to Maggie before following Lucy to the Director's office. She told her co-Director the truth up until the point where she'd reached the park. There was no way to bring up Lord being there without risking exposure, so Alex simply said that she'd lost the trail and couldn't pick it back up. Lucy brought up the impromptu gathering at the immortal's apartment the previous evening, and Alex admitted to having been shot – luckily, Maggie had had the foresight to wrap some bandages around her lover's stomach to sell that part of the story if it came up – but claimed not to have seen the shooter. Much as she'd have loved to use the shooting as an excuse to bring Lord down, she knew it was too much of a risk at the moment. Better to feign ignorance than entangle the DEO in immortal business. Her co-Director didn't look as though she completely bought that version of events, but – fortunately for Alex – didn't seem interested in calling her out on it either. They wrapped up the debrief and, after a quick stop to check in with Maggie and bring Winn and Vasquez up to date on the parasite thing, the elder Danvers headed to the holding cell her sister had been sent to. The inside of the cell was bathed in red, and Alex found the younger girl stretched out on the cot, in deep conversation with whoever was on the other end of her cell phone.

"Tempting as that sounds, I'm kind of stuck where I am right now." There was a pause, and Kara frowned. "No, I'm not blowing you off. I really can't get away." Another pause. "I don't know how long I'll be here, but I promise that as soon as I leave you'll be the first to know." Kara paused again, cracking a smile at whatever the other person was saying. "That would be great. I could use some fun after all this." She paused one more time, still smiling. "Me too. See you soon?" The two exchanged goodbyes, and Kara hung up, her expression souring when she saw who was outside the cell. She crossed her arms and stared resolutely at the ceiling. "I'm not talking to you."

Alex sighed, leaning a forearm against the plexiglass separating them. "I know you're pissed, but we did this for your own good."

"That's what Lord said about his stupid ARA thing."

"Come on, Kar. That's not fair. The two situations are entirely different."

"Are they? All I see are people trying to control me. In this case, people I _thought_ I could trust." She gave her sister a rather pointed look before turning away once more, and Alex could feel her heart twist with fear and guilt at the thought that – for all their good intentions – she'd managed to break something fundamental in her and Kara's relationship.

Shaking her head, the elder Danvers punched in the code to open the door and strode inside the cell. She knelt down next to the cot, reaching out to put a hand on her sister's shoulder only to have the younger girl jerk away and roll onto her side to face the wall. "I'm sorry, Sis," Alex whispered. "I really am. It kills me seeing you like this." No response. "I can't blame you for hating me," she muttered, slumping against the wall next to Kara's head. "Hell, even Maggie thinks this was a shitty thing to do. And maybe she's right. But you scared me last night, Kara. The last time I saw you that angry was under the Red K. I know you weren't yourself then, but last night was all you, and in some ways that's even scarier." She sighed. "I wasn't just scared of what you might do, though. In truth, I was afraid of what could happen _to_ you if you went after Lord in a blind rage. He knows how to kill you, Kara, and I've no doubt he'd do it if he thought he could make himself look like a hero in the process. And I can't lose you…not like that. Not to him. Hate me if you want, but I can live with that as long as you're safe."

"Let me out and you won't have to worry about me ever again," Kara grumbled, in a tone that made Alex more than a little concerned.

"Kara…."

"Don't." The younger Danvers sat up, glaring. "It's clear you don't trust me—"

"That's not true!" Alex insisted, climbing back to her feet. "There's no one on this whole fucking planet I trust more."

Kara snorted. "Could've fooled me."

"Okay, I get it," the immortal sighed. "I fucked up. I shouldn't have let Lucy detain you like this."

"Damn straight."

"But I can understand why she felt she had to." Kara glared at her again, and she raised her hands in surrender. "Hear me out, okay? You know how I said you scared me last night? I think that goes for all of us. You were this fucking close to storming out after Lord and handing him all of the justification he'd need to go on an alien witch-hunt through the city. Not to mention possibly getting yourself killed. I'm guessing this is the only way Lucy could think of to prevent that, and at the time I couldn't come up with a better option. Maybe I shouldn't have sided with her over you. I just…panicked. And I'm sorry. Truly."

The younger Danvers scowled, clearly still unconvinced. "Lucy couldn't have come up with that kind of thing on her own."

"You're right. I helped her put it in place so that we had a failsafe in the event of another Red K-type incident. It was only supposed to be used in a serious emergency where you were actually out of control. She jumped the gun, and I let her do it because I wanted to keep you out of Lord's crosshairs." Shaking her head, Alex sat down on the cot next to Kara, only to have her sister get up and move to the corner of the cell. The immortal slumped back against the wall with a huff. "Kar…."

"I'm starting to see why Kal doesn't like working with you guys."

"This isn't about trust, Kara."

"Isn't it?"

Alex sighed. "We both know that there are things out there – like Red K – that can render my trust in you irrelevant. I won't apologize for having a plan to prevent a repeat. I'm just sorry that Lucy used it the way she did, and that I let her do it." Another sigh. "Kara, if you can look me in the eyes and promise that you won't go after Lord, I'll talk to Lucy about letting you out."

The Kryptonian frowned, looking almost insulted. "So now I have to give you reassurances before you'll trust me enough to release me?"

"I can't go to Lucy with anything less. If it were up to me…."

"Aren't you two co-Directors?"

"True," Alex nodded. "But I'm also pretty biased in this case. Decision has to come from someone without personal ties."

"Right," Kara muttered, dropping down onto the other end of the cot. The elder Danvers wanted to reach out and comfort her sister, but wasn't sure the contact would be welcomed at this point.

"We're going to get Lord, I promise. Jo was able to get a lead on that parasite thing last night. It's only a matter of time before we come up with a way of defeating it."

Kara turned to her, and for the first time since they'd discovered what Lord was doing, Alex thought she saw a glimmer of hope in her sister's eyes. "Really?"

Alex nodded. "It's not going to be easy, but we know a bit more about it now, and I'm hopeful that between me and our resident computer geniuses, we'll come up with a workaround for that termination code and/or some kind of antidote. At the very least, I think I might be able to work out a way to identify possible hosts, though – again – it's not going to be easy. The important thing is that we have a better idea of what we're up against now."

"That actually makes me feel a bit better. So, how's Sergeant Truman doing?" Alex dropped her gaze, doing her best to keep from crying, but her sister picked up on the change in demeanor regardless. "What happened?"

"I followed her last night because I didn't trust Lord. He spirited her away from their initial meeting place, and I managed to track them as far as the park before the trail went cold. I haven't seen her since, but given who we're dealing with I can't help but fear the worst."

"Sorry," Kara muttered. "I really liked her."

"Me too." At that, the sisters lapsed into a rather awkward silence. Alex could tell that Kara was fighting the urge to take off after Lord, but the immortal was reluctant to bring it up for fear of repeating the previous night's tirade. The younger Danvers didn't deserve to be locked up over something they were all feeling, but it would be tough to convince Lucy of that if she started getting her rage on again.

The door to the outer chamber opened, and both sisters looked up to see Maggie walk in. "Winn gave me the door code," she explained before Alex could even ask. "Seems we've got a bit of a problem downtown."

Alex frowned. "What kind of problem?"

"The kind that looks like your old boss. Only Lane checked and he's still at whatever facility the brass sent him to." Maggie handed her a tablet that was playing a news report from one of the local affiliates. Someone or something that looked like J'onn – or, more accurately, like J'onn's human alias – was attacking the ARA building, and doing far more damage than a human would be capable of.

"Let's go," the immortal ordered, handing the tablet back as she left the cell. Once she was through the door, she looked back to see Kara still sitting on the cot. "That means you, too."

"What about Lucy?"

Alex shrugged. "What about her? From the looks of things, you're our best shot at taking down the thing that's wearing J'onn's face. If Lucy has a problem with that, she can take it up with me _after_ we've dealt with it." She turned to Maggie. "Any idea where that thing came from?"

"Right before the attack started, Cadmus broadcast another of their creepy-ass videos, saying something about stopping those who dared to protect the 'disease' supposedly infecting our world. I really hate those fuckers…maybe even more than Lord."

"Lord is still number one on my list, but Cadmus is a close fucking second. Ready to go kick their asses?" the immortal asked, turning back to her sister.

Kara smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "See you there." Moving out from under the red sun emulators, the Kryptonian took off faster than either of them could blink.

"Guess we're playing catch-up. I'll go grab a bike from the motor pool. Is my helmet still at the apartment?"

"Sure, but don't they have any here?"

"Winn added a few extras to the one I was wearing last night."

"Fair enough," Maggie shrugged. "I'll run over and grab it. Meet me there?"

"Of course. Where's my coat?"

"Right where you left it."

"Good. I'll pick you up outside the building. Hopefully we can get to CatCo Plaza before the shit hits the fan." She pulled Maggie in for a quick kiss, and then they split up, with Alex ignoring warnings from Lucy about going on a mission with her supposed wound as she passed through the command center and grabbed her coat and sword. After a quick stop by the armory for some more conventional weapons, the immortal made her way to the motor pool. Someone had picked up her bike from the previous evening and brought it back, so she reclaimed it, sliding her sword into the mount and grabbing one of the spare helmets for the ride to her apartment. Maggie was already waiting outside when she got there. The two traded helmets as the detective climbed onto the back, wrapping her arms around Alex's waist. Alex immediately turned the bike towards the ARA building, activating the HUD and the coms as she drove. She tried to raise Kara before remembering that her DEO-issued earpiece would've been confiscated when they put her in the holding cell. Instead, she contacted Winn. "Agent Schott, what's the latest on the situation downtown?"

" _ **Not good, Director Danvers. Whatever that thing is, it's doing quite a bit of damage. And Supergirl hasn't been able to put a dent in it.**_ "

"Is she okay?"

" _ **For now, but I'd get there ASAP if I were you. Not sure how long she'll be able to hold out**_."

She swore. "Find me the fastest route there, and send that along with whatever data you have on that thing to my helmet."

" _ **Way ahead of you, Director. Info is already on its way. You should be seeing it right about…now.**_ " As he spoke, the HUD lit up with the route laid out, and Alex followed the path while listening to an electronic voice read out the data on their mystery assailant. Which, unfortunately, wasn't much. Only that he was unusually strong and was giving off some kind of power signature, suggesting that he wasn't entirely human (or even organic).

"I fucking hate robots," she grumbled under her breath.

"Is that what we're dealing with, babe? A robot?"

"Robot or cyborg. Either way, we're fucked if we can't figure out how to take it down. I don't suppose the NCPD keeps EMPs handy? I'd have grabbed one of ours if I'd known what that thing was before we left."

"Sorry. My department may be the 'science' division, but we're still pretty low-tech right now. Budget cuts."

"Of course," Alex muttered, followed by a few Kryptonese curses she'd picked up from Kara. "Guess we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way." They soon reached the scene to find that, while the ARA building was still mostly intact, CatCo Plaza was an unholy mess. J'onn's doppelganger had Supergirl pinned in the center of a crater, hands wrapped around her throat. And it looked like the Kryptonian was starting to fade. "Fuck!" the immortal breathed, switching her helmet for an earpiece, then sliding her sword into the hidden pocket of her coat and grabbing the shotgun she'd strapped to the other side of the bike. "Does this thing have any weaknesses, Schott?"

" _ **Working on it**_."

"Work faster!" Not waiting for a response, Alex cocked the shotgun and stormed over to her sister's assailant. Maggie was right on her heels, service weapon drawn and ready. "Hey asshole!" the immortal snarled. She fired a shot right into the fake J'onn's back. Unfortunately, it only seemed to piss him off. He turned towards her, seemingly abandoning his attack on Supergirl for the moment.

"DEO Agent Alex Danvers. Another bleeding-heart alien-lover just like your father."

Frowning, Alex loaded another shell, forcing herself not to respond to the comment about her Dad. "Hank Henshaw, I presume. I should've known a scumbag like you would manage to survive. I'd say you sold your soul to Cadmus, but that would require having one to begin with." She fired again, and again he shrugged it off.

"I'm trying to protect this planet. That thing that calls itself your sister is part of an infestation that Cadmus intends to eradicate, once and for all. And when we finish here, I'll track down and destroy the creature from Mars that stole my life. You can't stop us, Danvers." As he spoke, Henshaw strode forward and ripped the shotgun from her hands, breaking it in half. "Earth belongs to the humans. Always has…always will." He grabbed Alex by the coat and hurled her into the side of the building. She definitely heard – and felt – something crack on impact, but since she didn't lose consciousness she assumed it wasn't anything vital.

Shots rang out, and on following the sound Alex watched in horror as Henshaw tossed Maggie's pistol aside and grabbed her by the throat. Gritting her teeth against the pain she was still feeling, she drew her sword and charged, not caring for the moment if anyone saw. She drove the blade into his lower back, feeling a slight jolt as the metal made contact with the cybernetics inside Henshaw. Alex didn't know if Robo-Henshaw could feel pain, but the stabbing was certainly enough to draw his attention. He callously dropped a now-unconscious Maggie and swung his arm behind him, knocking the immortal and her blade back several yards. She cracked the back of her head against one of those newspaper dispensers as she landed, but it still wasn't enough to put her down. Silently thanking the power/deity/whatever responsible for her immortality, Alex pushed herself back to her feet, forcing down her concern for Maggie until the current threat had been dealt with. Supergirl was still out as well, but hopefully the sunlight would heal whatever damage Henshaw had managed to inflict. Until then, Alex just had to keep the cyborg's attention. "Nice try, motherfucker," she snarled, raising her sword again. "It's going to take a lot fucking more than that to get rid of me."

"Like father, like daughter."

Before Alex could even begin to figure out what he meant, her earpiece crackled to life. " _ **Director Danvers!**_ " she heard Vasquez call out. Figuring Winn had gotten pulled into something else, she tapped the earpiece.

"What do you have for me?" she asked, narrowly avoiding another swing from Henshaw.

" _ **Our scans seem to indicate that the source of the cyborg's power is in its chest somewhere.**_ "

"Like Metallo?"

" _ **Not Kryptonite, but it is some kind of radioactive material. If you can find a way to rip it out of him, you can take him down. Just be careful.**_ "

"Always am." Shutting the earpiece back down, she ducked and rolled to avoid another attempt at taking her head off the hard way. Alex swung her sword as she came back to her feet and managed to rip away a chunk of Henshaw's face, revealing a Terminator-like metal skeleton beneath. "If Earth belongs to humans, where exactly do _you_ fit, T-1000?" His only response was to come at her again. But before he could make contact, something hit him from behind. It looked like heat-vision beams, but instead of Supergirl, Alex saw Scorcher enter the plaza alongside Mon-El and several of the aliens she remembered from the fight club. They were all wearing costumes bearing the Lord Tech logo, and had the same weird expression as James seemed to these days. "Just fucking peachy," she muttered, stashing her sword in the hidden pocket of her coat and rushing over to Maggie as Henshaw shifted his attention to the newcomers. Let Lord's new pets get smacked around for a bit if they're so eager to help. At least it would buy her time to figure out a way to get at Henshaw's power source. On reaching the detective's side, Alex immediately moved to check her pulse. It was weak, but steady, and when the immortal tried to move Maggie her hand came away bloody. The blood came from Maggie's left shoulder, at which point Alex realized that Henshaw must have turned the gun on the detective before tossing it. "Fuck!" The immortal tore a hunk of cloth from her own shirt and pressed it into the entrance wound. Maggie stirred slightly at the contact, but didn't wake. Alex did a quick check and breathed a sigh of relief when she found an exit wound.

There was a loud, metallic sound, and Alex looked up to see two of the fight club aliens holding onto Henshaw's arms while Mon-El ripped the power source from his chest. The last time she'd checked, the Daxamite didn't have super-hearing, so she could only wonder how they'd worked it out so quickly. The Henshaw-bot deactivated, and once the power source had been taken from the scene, Scorcher melted what was left with her heat-vision. Police and the press showed up just as Mon-El – or "Valor," as he was apparently calling himself now – returned from dumping the radioactive material (hopefully in a safe place, though Alex wasn't holding her breath on that one), and Lord's new pets were immediately swarmed by reporters. A DEO team showed up just after the police and started right in on the cleanup. With any luck, they could keep Lord from getting his hands on what was left of Henshaw and piggybacking off of whatever Cadmus did. With no one paying attention to her, Alex tore more cloth from her shirt and used it to bind both the entrance wound and the exit wound she'd just found. She then carefully lifted the detective from the ground, bridal-style, as she tried to figure out the fastest way to get her help. "I'm fine, thanks for asking," a familiar voice said from behind her. A moment later, Kara stepped into her line of vision. Her costume was a bit ripped up, but otherwise she seemed no worse for wear.

Alex shook her head. "No offense, Sis, but not everyone is as sturdy as you are." She glanced down at Maggie, and Kara's expression became one of genuine concern.

"Is she okay?"

"I don't know. She needs to get back to the DEO ASAP. Would you mind…?"

Kara nodded, moving to take the detective from her sister's arms. "Of course."

"Thank you. Are _we_ okay?"

The younger Danvers shook her head. "I need some time, Alex. I know you meant well, but what you did still hurt me." She took to the air with Maggie, not giving her sister the chance to respond. With a heavy sigh, Alex reclaimed her bike and headed back to base.

TBC (See you Friday!)


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

A/N: Thanks again for the favorites/follows/reviews I've received so far. Only 17 days until the next episode. In the meantime, enjoy!

* * *

Hours later, an exhausted Alex sat slumped in a chair next to Maggie's bed in the med bay, anxiously waiting for the detective to wake up. She'd returned to the DEO base to find Kara already gone – and on her way to L Corp, according to their radar – and herself banned from the surgical bay while Hamilton and her team worked. So, to distract herself from both things, the immortal had holed up in an empty training room and thrown herself into sword drills (with and without the blindfold) until someone finally informed her that Maggie was out of surgery and could receive visitors. Once in the room, Alex refused to budge, and not even Dr. Hamilton was brave enough to suggest she leave.

"D-Danvers?" a voice croaked, and Alex raised her head to see Maggie looking right back at her. The detective tried to sit up, but Alex quickly rose from the chair and gently pushed her back down.

"Easy there, babe. You just took a slug to the shoulder from your own gun. Went straight through and didn't hit anything vital – thank God – but you still need some time to recover. Doc says your throat might be a bit sore, too, from where Robo-Henshaw grabbed you."

Maggie nodded. "Looks like it's your turn to play nurse," she rasped, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively despite the pain she had to be in.

"Guess so," Alex chuckled softly. Leave it to Maggie to find ways to flirt even from a hospital bed. With a sigh, she reached out and brushed her fingers across Maggie's cheek, taking care to avoid the nasal cannula that was currently feeding the detective oxygen. "You scared the shit out of me today, Mags. That thing could've killed you. And if that happened…." She trailed off, her voice breaking. Though their relationship was still in the early stages, Alex couldn't imagine her life without the brash, bold, hard-headed, and amazingly charming detective. The thought was just too painful to even consider.

Maggie smiled, reaching up and cupping Alex's cheek with her good hand as though she could read her mind. "It'll take a lot fucking more than some wannabe Terminator to get rid of me."

"Still…if I can't take stupid risks, then you definitely shouldn't."

"I'll stop when you do."

Alex shook her head. "At least promise me you'll take it easy until the doc clears you."

"I think I can agree to that," Maggie grinned, pulling the immortal in for a kiss.

Hearing something nearby, Alex reluctantly broke the kiss and raised her head to find Winn standing in the doorway, his face beet-red. If looks could kill, between her and Maggie the resident hacker would've dropped dead on the spot. "This had better be fucking important, Schott," the immortal growled.

Looking as though he might wet himself, Winn moved over to the bed and handed her a tablet. "T-there's something you should see, Director." He pulled up a news report that had Max Lord front and center, surrounded by his new pet aliens.

"Citizens of National City," he boomed, affecting a concerned expression. "As many of you are no doubt aware, we just suffered a brutal, vicious attack by an agent of the terrorist organization calling itself Cadmus. An attack that was thwarted by the truest heroes this city has ever known. Not Supergirl…not the humans she's allied herself with…but these good people standing beside me. Many of you might remember Valor from the day I opened the Alien Registration Agency. He and his brave comrades here are all duly registered aliens, and have all agreed to help me protect this city from threats like the one we faced today. A threat that the so-called Girl of Steel was unable to stop on her own." There was a dramatic pause before Lord looked directly into the camera. "If you're watching this, Supergirl, I want to make one thing perfectly clear: this city doesn't need you. Not as long as you remain obstinate about following the law. Register, and you are more than welcome to a place on my team – my Legion of Superheroes, as it were. But if you continue to refuse, you'll soon find that you no longer have a place here. The choice is yours, Supergirl. You have four more days." With that, the press conference ended. But before Alex could return the tablet, another report came on. This time, the reporters had convened in Lena Luthor's office at L Corp. The youngest Luthor was sitting behind her desk, and who should be standing behind her but the Girl of Steel herself. Sharing a confused look with Maggie, the immortal turned up the volume to make sure she didn't miss a word of…whatever this was.

"Thank you for coming, ladies and gentlemen," Lena began. "I asked you all here because I can no longer, in good conscience, stay silent while our so-called Mayor threatens to tear this city apart. Yes, I know that I have not lived here very long, and that my name alone is reason enough for many to feel that I can't be trusted. But I am not my family. I do not share their opinion that aliens are inherently bad and humans are superior. Since I moved to National City, this amazing and heroic young woman here with me has saved this city – not to mention my own life – more times than I can count. And she didn't do it for glory or personal gain. She did it because that's just who she is. Mayor Lord, on the other hand, seeks nothing _but_ glory and personal gain, and he's using the threat of Cadmus to scare everyone into giving it to him. Supergirl is our best chance at taking down these terrorists, but she can't do that with the Mayor throwing obstacles in her path at every turn."

"And why should we take you at your word, Ms. Luthor?" one reporter asked. "Wasn't your company preparing an alien detection device for the market just a month or so ago?" A frown flickered across Kara's features that Lena seemed to catch, but the CEO was quick to compose herself.

"My interactions with Supergirl since then have led me to rethink that particular project. But even if I hadn't, a device designed to let private citizens find out whether or not their friends and neighbors are aliens is a far cry from forcing all aliens to register with a government agency. The ethical implications of Mayor Lord's project are positively frightening. Clearly, he never paid much attention in history class. Either that, or he simply doesn't care. I'm not sure which is worse."

"No offense, Ms. Luthor," another reporter chimed in, "but, given your brother's well-known animosity towards Superman, your sudden alliance with Supergirl seems rather odd, to say the least."

Lena opened her mouth to respond, but Kara beat her to it, putting a hand on the CEO's shoulder. "As Ms. Luthor already stated quite clearly, she is _not_ her family. I prefer to judge people on their own merits, and so far she's shown herself to be a kind, caring, and compassionate person. When she says she opposes the ARA, I believe her, and I'm grateful for her support." The two shared a look that Alex found a bit weird, but she didn't have time to think on it before yet another reporter interrupted.

"Supergirl, does this mean that you won't be registering?"

Kara sighed. "I'm not going to answer that question, as I believe I still have several days left to make my final decision. What I _will_ say is that I strongly disagree with the ARA, and my past interactions with Mayor Lord have given me little reason to trust that, if I did decide to register, he wouldn't use my information for his own purposes or allow my enemies access to it." Another sigh. "I've always done my best to follow and respect the law. National City is _my_ home, too. But it's difficult to do so with a law that is patently unjust. I'm sure many people – human and alien – would agree with me on that."

"Are you saying that the aliens here in National City should ignore this 'unjust' law?" that same reporter asked.

"No. Everyone must follow their own conscience. I can't make the decision for anyone else, and I certainly do not fault those who choose to register."

"So what's your take on this new 'Legion of Superheroes' that Mayor Lord introduced today?" the first reporter chimed in.

Lena stood up, giving the reporter a death-glare that rivaled Alex's. "It's a joke…a PR stunt. With the possible exception of the mysterious 'Valor,' none of his so-called 'heroes' are anything of the sort." She typed something on the computer, and a screen behind her lit up with mugshots of the other aliens who'd been at the plaza earlier. "Mayor Lord is seeking to replace Supergirl – a true hero who, as you may recall, quite literally saved the world a few months back – with known criminals. The woman who attempted to assassinate President Marsdin during her recent visit in order to _prevent_ registration, ironically enough, as well as several low-level thugs who were involved in the illegal fight club run by Veronica Sinclair, aka Roulette. Who would you rather have your children looking up to?"

"But isn't it possible that Mayor Lord has rehabilitated them somehow…given them a second chance?"

"If that's true," Kara began, cutting off whatever Lena was about to say, "I'd certainly welcome the help. The more the merrier. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that Mayor Lord's motives are entirely noble, and I can't help but wonder exactly how he achieved these seemingly miraculous transformations."

The second reporter jumped back into the fray. "Supergirl, are you accusing Mayor Lord of illegal activity?"

Before Kara could answer, Lena put a hand on her shoulder and turned her glare on said reporter. "Neither of us would dare throw around such an accusation without evidence. However, I think it's definitely a legitimate question. After all, Mayor Lord has been linked to a number of questionable activities in the past. Bizarro…the substance that altered Supergirl's mind…. It certainly wouldn't be a stretch to suggest that his so-called 'Legion' is part of yet another experiment – whether they know it or not." Shaking her head, the youngest Luthor moved around to the front of her desk. "I want the citizens of National City – human and alien alike – to know that I stand with Supergirl, and with any alien who does not wish to give in to the Mayor's gestapo tactics. He's not the only one here with power, and I intend to use mine to ensure that everyone is treated fairly, regardless of where they came from. My doors – and windows – are always open to anyone who needs me." She paused, returning to Kara's side. "That's all for today, folks. If anyone has further questions, please send them to my assistant." The report ended on the image of Lena Luthor and Supergirl standing together, practically arm-in-arm, and Alex could only hope that the CEO was genuine and wouldn't end up hurting Kara…whatever was going on between the two. Given the looks the pair were exchanging when they thought no one was looking, she had a sinking feeling that it went deeper than just friendship and could only wonder why her sister had never mentioned it before. If she had, Alex sure as hell would've shut it down. Luthors were bad news, no matter how good a face they put on for the public….

"Wow," Maggie rasped, disrupting the immortal's train of thought. "Who'd have thunk it? Little Danvers and Little Luthor, working together."

"Let's hope that working is _all_ they're doing," Alex muttered, shoving the tablet back into Winn's hands as the hacker made some odd noises.

"W-what are you…I mean…Kara isn't…she can't be….N-not that there's anything wrong with that," he added after both Alex and Maggie glared. "I'm just gonna go now…get back to work…." Winn scurried away, leaving the two women alone once more. When he'd gone, Alex slumped back down into her chair. The detective peered down at her from the bed, smirking.

"Worried that you rubbed off on baby sis?" she teased. "You know it's not catching, right?"

The immortal's eyebrow shot up. "That has nothing to do with this. Kara's Kryptonian."

"I don't follow."

"From what she's told me, gender wasn't a factor when it came to finding life partners there. Marriages were always arranged and based on things like genetic compatibility. Hell, pretty much everything was dictated there. Jobs, number of kids you could have…. And gender never factored into any of it, because they didn't have all the bullshit notions we do about who is capable of what. The only place gender mattered was in naming people, and I'm pretty sure that was just some archaic tradition that never died out for whatever reason. For Kara, the idea of being able to _choose_ anything for herself was pretty mind-blowing. As for the gender stuff…well…you have no idea how confusing it was for her to find out that we Earthlings expected men to behave in certain ways, that women were expected to behave in different ways from men, and that anything other than male/female couplings was considered abnormal. And don't even get me started on how weird and awkward sex-ed was for her. More so than usual, I mean. She was convinced that her teacher was an uninformed idiot – though, thankfully, she never said that to his face – until Mom sat her down and explained how things worked here. Apparently, on Krypton they used something called a birthing matrix for reproduction. Her cousin Kal-El was the only Kryptonian she'd ever known to be conceived and born in the way we would consider normal."

"So Kryptonians didn't have sex?"

"They did. Just not for reproduction. For them, it was about strengthening the mating bond or some weird shit like that. Since coming here, Kara's views on the subject seem to have landed in some middle ground between our way and Krypton's. Not that I want to think about my sister doing _that_..." she added, suppressing a shudder. Unrealistic (and hypocritical) as it might be, she preferred to imagine her sister as a sweet, bubbly virgin who'd never even think about getting that close to someone. Not until she was properly married, anyway.

Maggie frowned. "Fascinating as all of that is, I'm still not sure I see the point."

The immortal sighed. "Though Kara gravitates towards men most of the time, her showing interest in another woman isn't entirely unexpected. I'm pretty sure she and Gordon had something going on in college that I really don't want to think about."

"You don't know? I thought you guys told each other everything."

Alex shrugged. "That was a pretty dark period for me. She and I weren't exactly on speaking terms then – though not for lack of trying on her part – and I was spending most nights clubbing and getting blackout drunk, trying to forget about my 'oh-so-perfect' alien sister who could do no wrong in my Mom's eyes. By the time J'onn came along and made me clean up my act, whatever Kara and Barbara may have had was long over."

"Right," Maggie nodded. "Batgirl and Supergirl….I would've paid to see that…" she mused. Alex's eyebrow shot up again, and she shrugged. "Kidding…mostly." The second eyebrow joined the first. "What? I'm not allowed to have fantasies?"

"Not about my sister. And how do you know Gordon is Batgirl?"

"I used to date Batwoman, so I was sort of an unofficial member of the Bat family for awhile. At least until I caught Kate cheating on me with Renee Montoya – my work partner at the time. Kate and I are kind of friends now, but getting to that point wasn't easy…not after what she did."

"Sorry."

"I'm not." Alex looked at her, confused, and Maggie smiled, reaching down and brushing her good hand along the immortal's cheek. "It sucked at the time, but if Kate hadn't broken my heart, I never would've left Gotham to take the job with the NCPD when it was offered. And if I'd never taken that offer, I never would've met you. That makes it all worth it."

"Well, I'm glad things worked out this way. Though I reserve the right to kick Batwoman's ass if she ever shows her face in our city."

Maggie laughed. " _That_ , I would definitely pay to see." She shook her head. "Anyway…if the idea of Kara possibly being romantically linked to another woman isn't the issue, I'm assuming your problem is the fact that the woman in question is a Luthor."

"I don't trust her, Mags. Lex had Superman fooled for years. If Lena is pulling the same con…."

"And what if she isn't?" the detective challenged. "What if Lena really means everything she's saying?"

Alex frowned. "Since when are you on Team Luthor?"

"Just playing devil's advocate. Kara's a big girl, Alex. You can't 'big sister' her forever."

"Sure I can."

Maggie sighed. "I know you mean well, but if you do something as stupid as forbidding her from seeing Lena, you'll just drive her further into Lena's arms. Assuming, of course, that their relationship isn't merely platonic. And even if they are just friends, the more you push against that friendship, the more she'll want it. I say just let this play out. Nothing wrong with Kara having something outside the DEO inner circle. And if you _are_ right about Lena, you'll be here for Kara when the shit hits the fan. We both will."

"I don't want her getting hurt."

"Neither do I. But your relationship with her is already on thin ice at the moment, thanks to the whole holding cell thing. Trying to protect her from someone she clearly wants to be around will only make the situation worse."

"So we just let this go?"

The detective shook her head. "Didn't say that. We keep an eye on things – discretely – and only interfere if absolutely necessary. I'm hoping that Baby Luthor really is on the up-and-up and we won't have to do anything. But I'm prepared to do whatever's needed to protect Kara if that's not the case."

"I guess," Alex sighed. She would've said more, but Dr. Hamilton chose that moment to interrupt. And she didn't look happy.

"Director Danvers. I see you forgot to tell Detective Sawyer that she's supposed to be resting her voice."

"I'm fine," Maggie insisted.

Frowning, Hamilton moved in to examine her. She poked and prodded the detective for several minutes before finally stepping back with an expression that Alex couldn't quite figure out. "You're lucky. It doesn't look like you've done any more damage. But that doesn't mean you two can keep chattering away like a couple of sorority sisters. I'm going to give you something for the pain, Detective, and I urge you to keep the talking to a minimum for the rest of the day. Though the drugs may make that a moot point, since drowsiness is one of the side effects."

"When can she go home, Doc?" Alex asked.

"I want to keep her here overnight. If everything looks good in the morning, I could be persuaded to release her…as long as she's with someone. I don't want her left alone. I'm concerned about a possible head injury from her fall." She turned to Maggie. "Have you been experiencing any headaches? Nausea? Memory issues?"

Maggie shook her head. "Nope. All good."

"Excellent. But if anything like that starts happening, I want to be notified immediately."

"Of course," the immortal nodded, standing up and laying a hand on Maggie's uninjured shoulder. "And I'd be happy to have her at my place if it means she can get out of here. That okay with you, Mags?"

"It's fine," she shrugged. Nodding, the doctor moved to Maggie's IV and injected something.

"The drugs should kick in soon. Perhaps it's time you went home, Director."

Maggie glared. "She stays or I walk." She stared Hamilton down until the doctor finally relented.

"Very well. I'll be back later to check in on you." With that, the doctor walked out, leaving them alone once more. Maggie shifted over in the bed, patting the now-empty space encouragingly. Not needing to be told twice, Alex slid in next to her, taking Maggie's good hand in her own.

"Not exactly what I was planning for tonight, but it'll do."

"You made plans?"

"Maybe," the immortal shrugged. "But we can always do them tomorrow night at my place."

Maggie smirked. "Is this your sneaky way of getting me to move in with you? Because I'm not _that_ much of a cliché."

"Aren't you supposed to be resting your voice?" Alex shot back, eyebrow raised. Maggie responded with a yawn. "Guess that means the drugs are kicking in," Alex muttered. She pulled the detective in for a quick kiss, and it wasn't long before the smaller woman fell asleep. The immortal wrapped her arms around Maggie and settled in, letting the steady rhythm of the detective's breathing lull her to sleep as well.

TBC (Feel free to leave a review...let me know how I'm doing so far. See you Tuesday!)


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

A/N: I hate to be that person, but it doesn't seem like there's a lot of interest in this story on this site. Now, I'd be happy to continue posting here if there's anyone out there who's actually reading. Otherwise, I'm seriously considering just pulling it from here and focusing on AO3 (where I've been posting it as Lexie_Raven). So if you'd like to keep the story here, please leave a review, a follow, a favorite, or even just PM me. Again, I hate to be that person, but it's kind of pointless to post if no one is interested. Please...prove me wrong.

Okay, now that that's done, on with the new chapter!

* * *

Maggie was given the all-clear to go home with Alex the next morning, and the immortal gladly took several days off in order to care for her properly (putting her med school training to good use). Thankfully, there were still no signs of any head injury, and her throat was already halfway healed, so Alex could focus her attention on dealing with the shoulder injury. The biggest problem was getting Maggie to forget about her work while she was supposed to be recovering. She was as much of a workaholic as Alex, if not more so. But someone up there was clearly on the immortal's side, as no major alien-related crises struck during the first day or so after Robo-Henshaw's attack. The biggest news on that front was the anti-alien graffiti that had shown up on several L Corp buildings following the CEO's joint press conference with Supergirl.

Speaking of which…. Alex checked her phone for probably the hundredth time, hoping in vain for a response to one of the dozen or so texts she'd sent to her sister since that particular event. Still nothing. Despite her typically sunny and sweet demeanor, Kara really knew how to hold a grudge. It was rare, but it did happen on occasion, and the results usually weren't pretty. Alex had just never been on the receiving end before – Red K incident notwithstanding – and was at something of a loss. "Still giving you the cold shoulder, huh?" Maggie said, jarring the immortal from her thoughts.

Alex sighed, shoving the phone back into her pants pocket. "Looks like. Guess I really fucked up this time."

"I'm sure she just needs some space. She'll come to you when she's ready."

"I hope so." Shaking her head, Alex glanced across the street at the entrance to Joe's. The wake Dawson was holding for Jo had already started, and the young immortal knew that her late mentor would want her there, but something was making her hesitate. Initially, she'd been concerned about bringing a mortal date in light of what Jo had told her about the whole secrecy thing, but Dawson had assured her that the rules weren't quite as strict as what her late mentor had made them out to be. Sure, no immortal or Watcher would go around outing each other to mortals not already in the know. But once a mortal had been let in, most immortals were more understanding about discussing their world with that person. Especially when it came to romantic partners. Jo had simply been more paranoid than average. But despite the reassurances on that front, Alex still had an odd feeling, and she wasn't sure if it had to do with Maggie still nursing the shoulder injury, or if something else was at play. She felt a hand on her arm, and turned to see the detective reaching out with the one that wasn't currently in a sling.

"You okay?" Maggie asked softly. "If you want to go home, just say the word."

"I'll be fine, Mags. Let's just get this over with." She wrapped an arm around Maggie's waist and the two of them headed for the bar together. As they closed the distance, Alex found herself doubled over, biting back a scream of pain. "Fuck!"

"What's wrong?"

"Feels like fucking railroad spikes being driven through my temples."

Maggie frowned. "That's it. We're going home."

"No," Alex insisted, shaking her head. "It just means that Joe has several immortal guests at this thing. And I'm guessing they're a lot older than I am."

"What the fuck does a fucking migraine have to do with any of that?"

"It's like an internal radar…how we know when we meet others of our kind. Normally, it's not this bad. I've just never been around more than one or two other immortals at a time. I'm sure it'll be fine when we get inside. The feeling always seems to fade once I've made eye contact. Don't ask me to explain that one," she added when Maggie gave her a weird look. "That's just how it is."

"Whatever you say," the detective sighed. "But if any of those fuckers draws a sword on you, I'm putting them down. And when they get back up, I'll put 'em down again, and I'll keep doing it until they get the message." As she spoke, Maggie opened her jacket to reveal her service weapon at her side.

Chuckling softly, Alex drew Maggie into a lingering kiss. "I don't think that'll be necessary," she smiled, once they parted. "But I appreciate the gesture."

"We're in this together, remember? I might just be a mere mortal, but I can hold my own. Not like you guys have superpowers aside from that neat little healing trick."

"True. But if I do actually get challenged, you can't interfere once it's started. Those are the rules."

"Your rules, not mine. And who says I'd wait until the challenge started? Nothing wrong with a preemptive strike."

Shaking her head, Alex wrapped her arm around Maggie's waist once more and pulled her close. "Never leave me, Mags," she muttered, dropping a quick kiss on the smaller woman's forehead.

"Wasn't planning to," the detective grinned. She kissed Alex one more time before the pair finally headed into the bar. The immortal felt her headache begin to clear as she looked around the room. Officially, the bar had been closed to the public for the evening, so everyone present was there for Jo. Standing closest to the bar, talking to Dawson, was a tall man with long, dark hair and tanned skin that – based on Jo's descriptions – she knew had to be the legendary Duncan MacLeod. He had a drop-dead gorgeous platinum blonde hanging off his arm, and Alex guessed that said woman was the infamous master thief her late mentor had mentioned. There were about a half-dozen other immortals gathered, along with a handful of mortals who were most likely Watchers (though Hamilton was conspicuously absent). Among the immortals, she spotted a brunette who looked like she'd just come from work at a hospital. There was something vaguely familiar about her, but Alex couldn't quite put her finger on it. The brunette was talking to a scruffy-looking guy whose whole demeanor screamed 'cop' and a curly-haired young man appearing to be barely out of his teens. Alex also spotted a dark-skinned woman sitting at Joe's piano, picking out a rather complicated tune. But the one that really caught her attention was the gentleman sitting in a corner by himself, nursing a beer. He had short, dark hair, olive skin, and a rather large nose. Wondering why he seemed insistent on avoiding everyone, Alex ducked behind the bar, ignoring Dawson's glare as she helped herself to a bottle of the good stuff and a couple of glasses. "Where are you headed?" Maggie asked softly.

"Thought I'd make a new friend." As she spoke, she subtly tilted her head towards the gentleman in question.

The detective nodded. "Good for you. I'll just grab a seat at the bar. Dawson's the old guy, right?"

"You know 'old' is a relative term in this crowd, right?"

"You know what I mean," Maggie shot back.

Alex sighed. "Yeah, that's him." She frowned. "You're not—"

Maggie put up her good hand to cut Alex off. "I know. Don't worry…strictly club soda tonight."

"Good." The young immortal leaned in for a quick kiss, then made her way to the table. "Mind if I join you?"

The older immortal scowled. "What part of me sitting here alone isn't sending a clear message?"

"Just because you want to be alone, doesn't mean you should be." Not waiting for a response, Alex set the glasses and bottle down before draping her coat over the empty chair across from him and settling herself into it. She poured two glasses of the potent bourbon she'd liberated from Dawson's stash and slid one over to her reluctant companion.

"What are you, the bloody optimists' club?" he grumbled, lifting his glass and drinking down the contents. "Does Joe know you have this?"

"He knows I'm good for it," Alex shrugged, taking a sip of her own drink. "Since you're here, may I assume you knew Jo?"

"Maybe I'm just here for the booze."

Her eyebrow shot up. "If that were true, you'd be over at the bar bothering Dawson instead of hiding in a corner."

"Maybe I prefer to drink alone."

"Now _that_ , I could believe…on any other day." She shook her head, pouring him a fresh glass. "If you don't want to talk, fine. But I kind of feel like the odd one out right now. You all probably have decades or even centuries worth of history together, and the only person I know besides the one I came in with is Dawson. And, in truth, I feel a bit responsible for what happened. Jo was killed trying to help me with something that had nothing to do with immortals…not on the surface, anyway. Bad guy just happens to be one of us, and she was doing her best to keep me off his radar. Which turned out to be for nothing, since he knows what I am now and has some ominous plan for me somewhere down the road." With a sigh, Alex finished her drink and poured herself another, absently noting the curious expression on the gentleman's features. She wasn't quite sure where the sudden urge to spill all of that had come from, but the fact that the older immortal seemed at least mildly interested was reason enough to keep going. "I just don't know what the fuck to say to anyone. Especially that MacLeod fellow. The way Jo talked about him made him seem like some kind of god."

That actually provoked a laugh from her companion. "Mac's nothing but an overgrown boy scout. I don't think he'd blame you for what happened. And even if he did, he's far too chivalrous to try anything against you. In all the time I've known of him, he's only ever killed one female immortal, and the full story behind that is one that even I'm not privy to."

"Sounds kind of sexist."

"Just the times he was born into. Boy Scout's been around since the late 1500s/early 1600s. Things were quite different in those days."

"Speaking from experience?" Alex asked, eyebrow shooting up as she took another drink.

"Nice try, Agent Danvers. But it'll take a lot more than the standard DEO interrogation tactics to get me to reveal my age."

The young immortal's jaw dropped. "H-how did you….?" As she spoke, he pushed up his sleeve to reveal a faded Watcher's tattoo.

"I have connections. Figured out decades ago that the best way to stay off the Watchers' radar was to get myself on the inside. They know what I am now, but I still have a few friends there who let me look at the occasional interesting file. And your file is _very_ interesting."

"So I've heard," she muttered, downing the rest of her glass and refilling it. "Doesn't really seem fair though, does it? You knowing so much about me while I know jack shit about you."

He shrugged, grabbing the bottle and refilling his own glass. "You're the one who insisted on coming over here. I don't owe you anything."

"Well excuse the fuck out of me for trying to be friendly. Looked like you could use one." She started to leave, only to have him grab her arm and tug her back down.

"I never said go…not unless you're planning to liberate another bottle from Joe's stash."

"Maybe later," Alex shrugged, leaning back and crossing her arms. "Does this mean you'll actually talk to me?"

"Depends. What do you want to know?"

"Why don't we start with a name?"

She watched her reluctant companion down half of his glass as he seemed to consider the question. "James Benson," he finally answered.

"That your real name, or just what you're using now?"

"I've had many names over the years."

Alex frowned. "That's not an answer." She shook her head, downing the contents of her own glass and refilling it. "So what name did Jo know you by?"

"Still assuming I knew her?"

"Why else would you be here today?" The older immortal's only response was to finish his glass and refill it. Alex sighed. "If you don't want to talk about Jo because it hurts, fine. I get it. Maybe I didn't know her as long or as well as any of you, but she and I still had something of a connection. Losing her like that…I don't even have the words to describe what I'm feeling." With another sigh, she downed half of her drink. She was starting to feel a little buzzed and decided it would probably be best to slow down a bit…make sure she'd be able to get Maggie home when it was time. Pushing the rest of her drink to the side for now, she met the other immortal's eyes. "Anyway…like I said, if you don't want to talk because you're hurting, I understand. But if you're just holding back for the sake of being difficult or maintaining whatever mystique you think you have, then cut it the fuck out."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Alex challenged. "Tonight is supposed to be about Jo…about honoring her memory. I'm here because, even though our time together was short, I'd come to think of her as family. And because I was hoping to connect with some of those who'd known her better. I'd thought – hoped – that you might be part of that group. My gut tells me that I'm right. But this game you're trying to play – if that's what this is – definitely does not honor Jo. So give me something real, or just tell me to fuck off and find someone else to talk to. Stop fucking around with the bullshit non-answers." When she finished, 'James' just stared at her, as though unable to come up with a response.

"Impressive," a female voice remarked from her right. "I think that's the first time in 1,000 years that I've seen him speechless." As the newcomer spoke, Alex turned and found herself looking at the platinum blonde she'd previously seen hanging off of MacLeod's arm. "Amanda Darieux," the woman added, holding out a hand.

Alex accepted the handshake. "Alex Danvers."

"We have the same initials," Amanda grinned. "Wonder what else we have in common."

"Certainly not our views on the law. You _are_ the master thief Jo told me about, are you not?"

The older immortal nodded. "I see my reputation precedes me. Don't worry…I won't be using my skills in here. Wouldn't do that to Joe. But boy, could I tell you some stories about our dear Josephine. She was something else. There was this one time—"

"I don't think Ms. Danvers wants to hear those kinds of stories, Amanda," 'James' suddenly said.

Alex frowned. "Maybe I do. It's not like you've been a font of information."

"Come now, Adam," Amanda chimed in. "Would it kill you to be nice for a change?"

"It might."

Rolling her eyes, the blonde reached out and smacked James/Adam upside the head, prompting a surprised yelp. "Stop being an ass before I sic Mac on you."

"Boy Scout doesn't scare me," he shot back.

"Fine. Then I'll get Joe to call in your bar tab."

James/Adam frowned. "You wouldn't."

"Try me." The two older immortals stared each other down, leaving Alex feeling like she'd stepped into the middle of some long, complicated story. She reclaimed her glass and took another drink while she waited for the pair to work out whatever it was between them. It wasn't long before she'd drained said glass, and when she went to refill it, the young immortal discovered that the bottle was empty as well. With a shrug, she glanced at the older immortals – who were still engaged in their glaring contest – and slipped back over to the bar to grab a fresh bottle.

"Everything okay?" Maggie asked as she approached.

Alex shook her head. "No idea. The guy is pretty cagey."

"What about her?"

"Seems more forthcoming than him, but those two have some differences of opinion when it comes to how much to talk about. I know that she has some history with Jo, and my gut tells me that he does as well. But he's so closed off that I just barely managed to get his name…and I'm not even sure it's his real one."

Maggie nodded. "So what's the plan? Want to get one of them alone?"

"Maybe," Alex shrugged. "Care to help?"

"Depends. Who am I distracting? Because I'm not sure how I feel about you having one-on-one time with a babe like that."

Chuckling to herself, the young immortal reached out and ran a hand through Maggie's hair. "I hadn't noticed," she muttered, leaning in and kissing the detective softly.

"Really?"

"Trust me. No one here holds a candle to you. Not even a 1,000-year-old master thief."

Maggie's eyebrow shot up. "A thief, huh?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Something came across my police scanner last night about a rare diamond going missing from the Natural History Museum."

Alex frowned. "What happened to taking a break from work while your shoulder heals?"

"I got bored," the detective shrugged.

"So I bore you now?"

"You know that's not what I meant. I just checked it while you were out grabbing dinner."

"Right…" Alex muttered, not sure whether Maggie's refusal to step away from the job was amusing or cause for concern.

"Anyway….I know this might not be the most appropriate time or place, but perhaps I should seize the opportunity to ask her a few questions before she skips town."

The young immortal sighed. "Fine. It's as good a reason as any to draw her away," she added, glancing over to where the two older immortals had moved on from staring to actually arguing, though she couldn't hear what either one was saying. Momentarily wishing she had Kara's extra-sensitive ears, she turned her attention back to Maggie. "Just promise you'll hand whatever you learn over to a cop who isn't on the injured list."

"I think I can live with that. Important thing is making sure the diamond doesn't leave the city." Grinning, the detective pulled Alex into a brief, but passionate kiss before taking her badge out and heading over towards Amanda. Maggie tapped the blonde on the shoulder, and there was a short, intense exchange before said blonde followed her over to a quiet corner. Seeing her opportunity, Alex liberated another bottle of bourbon from Dawson's stash and returned to the table.

"So…" she began, opening the bottle and pouring them both a fresh glass as she reclaimed her seat. "Any chance you might actually talk to me now?"

"Are you planning to blackmail me if I don't?"

Alex shook her head, picking up her glass and taking a drink. "No blackmail, I promise. All I'm looking for is good conversation."

"Why me?"

"Why not?" she shrugged.

"I'm hardly the only person here. Plenty of others you could bother."

Another shrug. "I don't know," she admitted. "Just a gut feeling that you're the one actually worth talking to. And my gut is rarely wrong."

"First time for everything," he shot back, taking a drink from his own glass. "Why not bother MacLeod? I'm sure he has plenty of interesting stories about the late Ms. Trudeau."

Alex smirked. "So you at least knew her well enough to know her real name."

"Ex-Watcher, remember? I know a lot of immortals' true names."

"I don't even know why I fucking bother," the young immortal grumbled, shooting to her feet. She downed the last of her drink and grabbed her coat, ready to walk away.

"Benjamin Adams," her companion said quietly, before she could take a step.

"Sorry?"

"That's the name she knew me by. Dr. Benjamin Adams." He sighed, finishing his glass and pouring himself another. Curiosity peaked, Alex draped her coat back across the chair and resumed her seat, taking another drink from her own glass. "I found her, actually," he added after a few moments of semi-awkward silence. "I'd just returned to New Orleans after having made myself scarce for a couple of decades – pissed off the wrong immortal slaveowner – and came across an infant abandoned in a cottonfield outside a plantation I was preparing to visit. Back then, I'd made something of a career treating slaves, and Joseph Trudeau had more than anyone else in that parish. Anyway…I sensed her potential immediately, but before I could spirit her out of there to a free family, Mr. Trudeau rode up and decided that the infant's presence in his cottonfield was fate. He took her in and gave her to his youngest daughter's wet nurse to raise."

"And he named her after himself. Kind of twisted, isn't it?"

He shrugged. "Slaveowners weren't the most creative bunch, except when it came to punishments for misbehaving slaves."

"Doesn't surprise me," Alex nodded. "But what did you mean when you said you could sense her potential?"

"Potential immortals have a signature, just like full immortals. Only it's much more subtle. It usually takes a lot of experience to pick up on it."

"And you have that experience? Based on your conversation with Amanda, you have to be at least 1,000 years old yourself."

"At least," he muttered, taking another drink. "As I was saying….once Trudeau got his hands on young Josephine, I didn't feel as though I had much choice but to offer my services. And I did everything I could to make sure that she'd have the chance to grow up. Those were dangerous times…especially for slaves. If she'd met her first death as a child, she would never have stood a chance in the Game. At least not without turning into a complete sociopath. Normally, I wouldn't bother, but there was just something about that girl that called to me. She was a wild child. Got into all kinds of trouble…her and Joseph's daughter. He'd taken Jo to be a companion for his youngest child – at least until she was old enough to work the fields – and the girls were as close as I'd ever seen two people of their respective classes. Of course, Joseph only ever held Jo responsible for those messes. Even when young Jacqueline confessed her involvement. Let me tell you…keeping that child in one piece was practically a full-time job."

Alex laughed. "I can relate. Spent half my childhood – hell, most of my life – trying to keep my sister out of trouble. Doesn't stop her from finding it."

"Would this be the sister who's an alien?"

"Yep," she nodded. He already knew everything else, so lying would be kind of pointless. "So…was Jacqueline the one she got in trouble for? She told me that she had to run after being caught with one of her Master's daughters."

"May I assume Jo also told you that it was just some meaningless fling?"

"That was the impression I got."

He shook his head. "In truth, the girls were in love. At least, Jo was. Head over heels. Sure, she had flings here and there, but her heart had belonged to Jacqueline since before either of them understood what those feelings even meant. And then when they got caught, Jacqueline turned and claimed that she'd been seduced. I'd never seen Jo so heartbroken. Once Joseph left her to the mercy of his overseers, I distracted them long enough for her to slip away. They would've killed her without a doubt, and I wanted her to have at least a few more years of a normal life before being dragged into our world." He finished his drink and poured himself another.

"But that wasn't the last time you saw her, was it?"

"When the war started, I turned my skills towards aiding those wounded in the field. Officially, I served the Union, but I treated anyone who needed it, regardless of what uniform they wore. I spent a bit of time in South Carolina, and a few months after Fort Wagner I saw the telltale signs of a Quickening and found a young soldier whom I quickly recognized as Josephine. Not sure she recognized me from her mortal life, but she told me what had happened with her so-called teacher and I steered her towards the last place I'd heard MacLeod had been. I didn't know him personally at that time, but he had quite the reputation among our kind and I knew he wouldn't hesitate to take over her training."

Alex frowned, finishing the contents of her glass and setting it aside. "Why didn't _you_ teach her?"

"Honestly?" he sighed. "I don't take students very often, and after Byron I was hesitant to get that involved again. Looking after her was one thing; actually taking the time to train her was something else entirely and I really wasn't in the right frame of mind to do that back then. The Boy Scout, on the other hand, has taken more young immortals in hand than many immortals twice his age have done. It's kind of his thing. I figured he'd be the best person to make sure she survived."

"Until I went and fucked it all up," the young immortal muttered, pouring herself a fresh glass and downing it in one go.

James/Adam/Ben shook his head. "You didn't fuck anything up. Whatever Jo's reasons for getting into that situation, it was still her decision. There's no way you could have predicted what happened."

"Even if I know the fucker who did it and how he operates?"

"Yes," he responded matter-of-factly. "Even then. Jo's loss was tragic, and I will grieve her as I've grieved everyone who's ever left me. But risk is part of the Game. We all go into every confrontation knowing it could be our last." He sighed, taking another drink. "Blaming yourself is a waste of energy. Jo wouldn't want you getting lost in your grief and misplaced guilt. The only one to blame is the one who did the deed, and his number will be up soon enough."

Alex shook her head, barely resisting the urge to take another drink. She was actually starting to feel a bit tipsy, which meant that it wouldn't take much more to render her unable to drive. With what remained of her willpower, she pushed her glass and the bottle to the other side of the table. "I hope you're not putting that on me," she grumbled, after a moment. "How the fuck could I be expected to take down Maxwell fucking Lord when I couldn't even beat Jo in training?"

"No one's saying you have to finish him tomorrow. The great thing about being what we are: we can afford to be patient."

"Easy to say when your enemy doesn't have unlimited resources and a whole fucking city practically bowing before him."

"True," her companion nodded. "And he may well be untouchable for the moment. But, like I said, you have nothing but time. Live. Grow stronger. Fight another day."

She snorted. "What the fuck is that? Your motto?"

"It's how I've survived as long as I have. I don't seek out fights, but I make damned sure I'm ready if one comes along that I can't get out of."

"Jo said something similar the day we met."

His eyebrow shot up. "Really? She didn't fill your head with that Eastern philosophy bullshit MacLeod peddles?"

"Not unless you count this weird exercise she had me doing where I worked through my sword drills blindfolded. Something about forcing me not to rely on my eyes so much during a fight. Strangely enough, I think it's starting to work."

"Never said the Boy Scout didn't have some good ideas once in awhile. But his thing about honor is a good way to get killed if you're not at his skill level."

Alex frowned. "Are you saying you approve of cheating? Because that's how Lord took Jo out…shot her in the fucking back so she didn't have a chance."

"Lord is a coward, clearly," he shrugged, finishing his glass and refilling it. "You won't get any arguments from me on that front. All I'm saying is that, at the end of the day, what really matters is who leaves with their head still attached. If it means occasionally resorting to some underhanded tactics, so be it. I haven't felt guilt in centuries…not when it comes to my own survival."

"And I thought _I_ was cynical," she muttered.

"Cynicism is healthy in our world. Idealists are the ones who end up dying young…with the possible exception of the Highlander. MacLeod," he explained at her confused look.

"Right…." Alex sighed, drumming her fingers against the tabletop as she fought the urge to grab another drink. "I don't know if I'm cut out for this."

"Jo believed in you. She wouldn't have taken you on, otherwise."

"How do you know?"

"Because she called me shortly after you met…wanted my advice."

"Why you and not MacLeod?"

Another shrug. "I think she wanted an unbiased opinion. Mac would've encouraged her to do the teaching thing regardless, whereas I wouldn't be so quick to make her jump in. When she called, I told her to go with her gut. First impressions are rarely wrong, and if she felt you had something worth cultivating, she should help. Otherwise, she should find you another teacher and get the hell out."

"Thanks…I think." Her head started to buzz, and she turned to see the Mayor himself walk into the bar as though he owned it. Alex immediately drew her sword and stalked over to the interloper. "Get the fuck out of here," she growled.

Lord grinned. "Nice to see you too, Danvers. What a cozy little gathering you've got going on."

"You heard the lady," Dawson chimed in, moving out from behind the bar. "This is my establishment, and I'd like you to leave right the hell now." As he spoke, Alex saw Amanda shove something into Maggie's good hand – the missing diamond, hopefully – before dragging a protesting MacLeod out the back door. The other gathered immortals seemed torn between intervening and staying out of Lord's business.

"Stay out of this, old man," Lord snapped, shooting warning glares at the other immortals as well. "This is between me and Danvers. Don't worry…I won't be long." The so-called Mayor pulled something from his pocket and pressed it. A moment later, several uniformed police officers burst in, guns drawn and trained on Alex.

"Drop your weapon!" one of them barked. Alex immediately put the sword on the ground, not wanting to cause trouble in Dawson's bar. "This her?" the officer asked, turning to Lord.

The billionaire-turned-politician nodded. "She's the one who assaulted me last night."

"What the—"

"Get down on your knees and put your hands on your head!" the lead officer ordered before Alex could even finish. Alex quickly complied, glaring at Lord as a couple of other cops cuffed her hands behind her and patted her down. They grabbed the sword from the floor and confiscated her phone, wallet, and service weapon (she'd left her badge at home, unfortunately), then hauled her back to her feet. But before they could do anything further, a pissed-off Maggie inserted herself between them.

"What the fuck, Garcia?" she snapped, glaring at the lead officer.

"This isn't your concern, Detective. Let us do our jobs."

Maggie shook her head. "The hell it isn't. She couldn't have assaulted the Mayor last night because she was with me."

"All night?" Garcia asked, eyebrow raised.

"Except for when she went to grab dinner. But that couldn't have been more than a half-hour, tops."

Garcia shrugged. "Plenty of time." He nodded to his comrades, who started dragging Alex out of the bar. She could hear Maggie and Garcia continuing to argue, but wasn't able to make out the exact words. Someone stepped in front of them, and she found herself face-to-face with Lord.

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded.

"Let's just say I'm making sure your sister gets the message about crossing me." He stepped aside, and the officers finished shoving her into the back of the squad car. From there, everything seemed to happen quickly. They drove her to the station, booked her, and put her into an interrogation room. When read her rights, the only word Alex said was 'lawyer,' so the cops took her back out and shoved her into a holding cell, alone. They locked her in with a rather ominous slam of the door, and as she settled herself on the tiny cot, her stomach twisted itself with dread. Lord's words replayed themselves over and over in her head, and all Alex could do was pray to whatever deities might be listening that her current predicament would be the worst of it.

TBC (Remember...please let me know if you're interested in me continuing this story. And, as added incentive, if anyone can correctly name all of the unnamed immortals I described near the beginning of the chapter, I'll post the next one early. See you then!)


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

A/N: Thanks for the favorites/follows/reviews so far. Nice to know that there's at least some interest in this story. And to answer the question I posed at the end of the last chapter, the immortals I described near the beginning of the last chapter are Grace Chandel (the brunette who works at a hospital, who appeared in the Highlander Season 1 episode "Saving Grace"), Nick Wolf (cop guy, and the male lead from Highlander: The Raven), Richie Ryan (the curly-haired guy barely out of his teens, and one of the leads from Highlander. On Earth 38, there was no Ahriman and he survived through the end of Highlander Season 5 and beyond), and Claudia Jardin (the pianist, who appeared the Highlander Season 4 episode "Timeless"). Also, in case anyone didn't pick up on it, James/Adam/Ben is Methos (not that Alex is aware of that fact). Now, on to the next chapter!

* * *

After what seemed like hours, Alex heard the cell door open and looked to see one of the uniformed officers standing there, frowning. "Your lawyer's here," he grunted.

"My lawyer?"

"You heard me. Now let me see your hands." Confused, the young immortal brought her hands forward and allowed the officer to lock a set of cuffs on. He escorted her back to the interrogation room and shoved her into the chair, releasing her right hand and locking the unused cuff onto the bar at the center of the table. Moments later, her head started to buzz and the man she'd shared the bourbon with made his way into the room.

" _You're_ my lawyer now? Did you even go to law school?"

"Several times," he shrugged, sitting across from her. "It's been awhile since I practiced, but at this point it's rather like riding a bike. Lucky for you, there isn't a shred of evidence linking you to any sort of assault against your supposedly esteemed Mayor. In fact, I was able to get footage from the restaurant you visited last night which proves you were nowhere near Lord at the time he claims you assaulted him. The gun and sword raised some questions, but your lovely detective friend retrieved your badge from your apartment, and I convinced them that the sword was a collectors' item that had been a gift from a now-deceased friend. There's no law against owning collectable swords, and you didn't _actually_ threaten Lord with it – at least not that the police saw – so you're pretty much in the clear. Just have some paperwork to fill out to get your stuff back."

Alex's eyebrow shot up. "Just like that? Then why am I still here?" she asked, indicating the hand still cuffed to the table.

Another shrug. "Bureaucracy. I'm sure someone will be along any minute." Almost on cue, the officer who'd escorted her into the room in the first place came back and unlocked the cuffs, muttering something about her being lucky. "Thank you, Officer," her 'lawyer' nodded. "If there's nothing else…." The officer just glared at them and left. Shaking his head, the 'lawyer' stood up and looked at Alex. "I suppose we should get on with it, then. Unless you'd rather stay here…."

"Fuck no," Alex shot back, heading straight for the door. She paused long enough to wait for the older immortal and allowed him to lead the way to wherever it was she needed to go next. They soon reached the spot where the confiscated personal items were kept, and the clerk shoved a seeming mountain of paperwork at her, which she grudgingly filled out. "You'd think having a fucking badge of my own would get me a pass on some of this shit," the young immortal muttered.

The older immortal shrugged. "You'd think. But I'm guessing Mayor Lord wants you tied up in red tape for as long as possible. Question is: why?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. What I want to know is why he even bothered in the first place if his evidence was so shaky. Is he just fucking with me because he can, or is there something else at play?" She sighed, scribbling her signature on yet another seemingly pointless page of paperwork. "I guess I should thank you. Who knows how long I could've been stuck in that cell otherwise. I sure as fuck wasn't about to drag Lucy into this bullshit."

"Not a problem. I don't get close to many people, but if Jo thought you were worth something I'm inclined to believe it. Especially since I can count the number of people who've called me out on my own bullshit and lived to tell the tale on one hand."

"Thanks…I think…." Alex shook her head as she finished off yet another page in the seemingly endless pile. "So what do I call you, anyway?"

Another shrug. "Whichever name you're comfortable with. Hell, I'll answer to just about anything. I've probably cycled through every name in the books at least once."

"Right…" the young immortal muttered, filing the comment away for later. "Why don't I just stick with Ben?"

"Fair enough." At that, the two fell silent as Alex slowly finished off the pile of paperwork she'd been handed. When the final page was complete, she shoved the pile back at the clerk, who returned a few minutes later with her things. Sword, gun, wallet, and phone.

"Where's my coat?"

"Out in the car," Ben answered. "I'll go get it."

"Thanks. I'll meet you out there." She put her gun and wallet back where they belonged and, ignoring the stares from the officers in the room, tucked the blade under her arm. Phone in hand, she followed Ben's path towards the exit, stopping when she noticed over a dozen missed calls from Lucy – just in the past 30 minutes. She hit the redial, resuming her course as she put the phone to her ear.

" _ **Where the hell have you been?**_ " her co-Director demanded, without so much as a 'hello.'

"Got a bit tied up. Why?"

" _ **You need to get back to the DEO – now!**_ "

"Wha—?"

" _ **Kara**_ ," Lucy said, cutting her off. " _ **It's bad.**_ " At that, the line went dead. Swearing, Alex ran for the exit, practically ripping the door from its hinges as she plowed through to the street where Ben was waiting with her coat.

"Are you okay?"

"Something happened to my sister while I was stuck in here. I have to get back to the DEO."

"Of course," he nodded. "I had a friend drop off your bike. It's parked about a block down the street." Ben gestured towards it as he spoke.

"Where's Maggie?"

"She's still inside. I believe she went to talk to her Captain. Don't worry…I'll bring her by when she's done. Just go."

"Thanks." Shrugging her coat on, Alex sprinted for the bike, shoving her blade into the sword mount and taking off without even bothering with the helmet. She made it back to the DEO in record time and left the bike out front, stopping just long enough to return her blade to her coat before running inside. Dropping her coat with Vasquez, Alex sprinted over to the med bay, where she was shocked to find a seemingly worried Lena Luthor standing outside, clothes covered in blood. Much as she wanted to rip into Lena – certain that the young CEO had something to do with what happened – she put it aside and rushed to the surgical bay, grabbing a pair of gloves on her way in. Her heart caught in her throat as she saw her baby sister on the table, bleeding, and surrounded by a team of doctors. Though, again, Dr. Hamilton was conspicuously absent. Steeling herself for the worst, Alex pulled on the gloves and shoved her way into the group. "What happened?"

"Multiple gunshot wounds from Kryptonite bullets," the lead surgeon explained as he worked. "You need to leave, Director."

"Like hell. I know more about her physiology than anyone here. Let me help, or get the fuck out of my way." The doctor nodded, and between the two of them (and the rest of the team), they spent the next several hours removing bullets and doing their best to repair the internal damage enough for the solar bed to be able to finish the job. Kara crashed several times during the operation – and Alex was sure her own heart stopped each time it happened – but ultimately managed to hold on long enough for them to finish what they needed to do and move her under the sun lamps (which were over the bed, high enough not to interfere with them treating her), albeit in a medically-induced coma and with a ventilator breathing for her while her damaged lungs healed. Based on the number of bullets they'd removed, Alex was reasonably certain that Kara's assailants had been using automatic rifles. The big question was where they'd gotten the Kryptonite bullets from, seeing as the DEO had disposed of its entire supply and there were very few others who even knew about it, much less how to weaponize it. But what disturbed the young immortal most was the bloodied jeans and cardigan that had been piled in the corner of the operating room – which meant that whoever attacked Kara had done so while she was in her civilian guise. The number of people outside their circle who knew about both Supergirl's true identity _and_ Kryptonite was even more limited – namely, Maxwell fucking Lord himself. And possibly Cadmus, given the fact that they'd had her father for the past 10 years or so. She wasn't sure which was worse.

With a heavy sigh, Alex settled herself into a chair next to the bed where her sister currently lay fighting for her life. The only sounds in the room were the beeping of the machines feeding Kara various drugs and monitoring her vitals, and the steady rhythm of the ventilator. She reached forward and took Kara's hand in her own, taking care not to disturb the IV. "I'm so sorry, Kar," she breathed, after a moment. "I know we've been drifting apart lately, and most of that is on me. And not just because of that stupid holding cell incident. Truth is, I've been going through some changes. I wish I could tell you – and I will, when the time is right – but at the moment it's just too dangerous. Still…I miss _us_. The last time we had a real 'sister night' was before all of this shit got dumped in my lap. And even if I can't tell you everything just yet, I can't do this without you. El-Mayara, remember? So you have to fight this. You have to come back to me. Don't let Lord or Cadmus or whoever the fuck is behind the attack win. I need you, Kara. I need my baby sister." Tears streaming down her cheeks, Alex muttered a prayer to Rao on the off-chance that her sister's god was real and might be able to intervene in some way.

"Hey," a voice said softly. Wiping away her tears, the young immortal raised her head to see Maggie walk in. She headed straight for the chair, wrapping her good arm around Alex and allowing the taller woman to cry into her uninjured shoulder. "It'll be okay, Alex," she soothed. "Your sister is strong…a fighter. She'll pull through."

Alex nodded, hoping that Maggie was right. "God…how could I let this happen, Mags? I should've been there."

"Don't do that," the detective frowned, pulling back a bit. "It's not your fault that some asshole decided to go after Kara. You couldn't have known."

"Maybe not, but if I hadn't been so caught up in my own shit…."

"It still would've happened. You can't be everywhere at once. Not even your sister can pull that one off." Alex opened her mouth to respond and Maggie cut her off with a soft kiss. "I know you must feel like you failed Kara somehow. But I promise, you didn't. You were only respecting her wish for some space." As she spoke, the detective brushed some of Alex's hair away from her face and ran a thumb across the young immortal's tear-stained cheeks. "The only way you'd fail her," Maggie continued, "would be if you wasted time wallowing in misplaced guilt instead of actually going out and bringing her attackers to justice. Which I will gladly help you with however I can. Those fuckers won't know what hit 'em."

That actually prompted a slight laugh from Alex as she wiped her eyes once more. "That would be great, but so far the only possible suspects I've been able to come up with are Lord and whoever's in charge of Cadmus. And I doubt either of them would stoop to doing their own dirty work, so actually connecting them to the attack will be next to impossible."

"Perhaps I can be of some help," a slightly accented voice offered. Alex and Maggie turned to see Lena Luthor standing in the doorway. The young CEO seemed to go a bit pale on seeing Kara's condition, but she didn't have much time to dwell before Alex shot up from the chair and rushed over, grabbing Lena by the front of her shirt and slamming her back against the wall.

"What the fuck did you do to my sister, Luthor?" Alex snarled.

Lena shook her head, raising her hands in surrender. "I know you're upset, Agent Danvers, and I don't blame you. But I can assure you, I had absolutely nothing to do with what happened to your sister. Hurting her is the _last_ thing I'd ever want to do. You have no idea how much Kara means to me."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I'm telling you the truth. Whether or not you believe me is your own affair." The youngest Luthor looked Alex in the eyes as she spoke, and the immortal was shocked to find not even the slightest hint of subterfuge. Luthors were excellent liars by trade, but even the most sociopathic among them couldn't lie _that_ well. Loathe as Alex was to admit it, perhaps Lena really did care about Kara. Though that still left the question as to how the young CEO had known to call the DEO instead of an ambulance.

"Fine," Alex grumbled, releasing her grip. "So what the fuck happened?"

Lena drew in a deep breath, looking past the immortal to where Kara lay. "We were out at that dive bar on 7th. Not really my scene, but Kara convinced me that I should go and meet some of the aliens I was pledging to help. And we both know how hard it is to say no to her. The night passed normally enough – as normal as an alien bar can be, anyway. Then, when we left, a black SUV rolled by with the windows down. The instant that the first shot went off, Kara wrapped herself around me. A lot more shots followed. God…I don't even know how many. I'm sure they were using automatic weapons of some sort. I could hear Kara grunting as each bullet struck, but I had no idea anything was wrong until the shooting stopped and she collapsed. The SUV sped out of there before I could even get my own gun from my purse. I only got part of the license plate, but I don't need it to know that they were mercenaries. The way the attack was carried out was too precise to be anything else. My family contracts with several such outfits, and I wouldn't be surprised if a few of those outfits also had clients like our Mayor. It's just a matter of figuring out which one." She shook her head, wiping away the tears that had slipped out. "Once they'd gone, I did my best to staunch the bleeding and dug out her phone to call her friend Winn, since she'd told me she wasn't really speaking to either you or Ms. Lane at the moment. A few minutes later, black vans showed up and evacuated her here."

Alex nodded, not sure how she felt about her sister throwing herself in harm's way to protect a Luthor. Even one as nice as Lena appeared to be. And the way the youngest Luthor talked confirmed what Alex suspected. "How long have you known?" she asked quietly, after a moment.

"Since she sabotaged my alien detection device. It was a clever move, but not an easy one to hide from my security cameras. Though I didn't tell her I knew until she came to me about the Mayor's registration program, asking for my help." Lena sighed. "Don't worry, Agent Danvers. I would never betray her confidence."

"Not even to your family?"

" _Especially_ not them. I know what they'd do with that information, and I'd rather die than see them hurt Kara."

With another nod, Alex steered Lena into the command center and showed her to a chair near Winn's station. "D-director Danvers!" the hacker stammered. "How's Kara?"

"She's alive, but in a coma. We have her under the sun lamps, and she's on a ventilator because of the damage to her lungs."

"Oh, man," he muttered softly, and Alex could tell that he was fighting the urge to run out after whoever had hurt his best friend. "Can I see her?"

"Later," she promised. "First, I need you to sit down with Ms. Luthor. Go over her statement, and use whatever information she gives you to try and track down the shooters. Lena believes they're mercenaries, though she'll need help to narrow down which group is responsible. If we can find them, maybe we can get them to tell us who hired them so we can shut those fuckers down…whoever they are."

"Yes, Ma'am!" He tossed off a salute, clearly happy to have something constructive to do, then turned to talk to Lena. Alex shot off a quick text to Lucy about making Lena sign a non-disclosure agreement before she left – and Maggie as well, now that she thought of it (not that she didn't trust the detective, but she knew Lucy was a stickler for the rules and wouldn't make exceptions even for their staunchest allies) – and returned to the med bay to check on her sister. She drew Maggie in for a quick kiss before reclaiming her seat and pulling the smaller woman into her lap.

"Everything okay?"

Alex sighed. "Lena was able to get a partial plate off the SUV that the shooters were in, and I've got Winn running it down and searching known mercenary outfits for possible matches. Hopefully, Lena's information will be enough to find those fuckers and bring them in…make them tell us who they're working for. Though I'm honestly not sure what comes after. My gut tells me Lord is behind it, since he told me he was trying to send Kara a message about crossing him when he had me arrested. I'm not ruling Cadmus out, but this sort of attack isn't really their style. And if I'm right…if Lord did send someone to attack Kara while he had me tied up in red tape at the station…there's no way we can bring him in. Been there, tried that. And he wasn't the fucking Mayor then."

"And he's too high-profile for you to challenge," Maggie added.

"Yeah. Even if I _was_ anywhere near ready for that sort of thing." She shook her head. "If we got solid evidence linking Lord to the attack, would your boss sign off on arresting him?" With a heavy sigh, the detective got up from Alex's lap and crossed the room, stopping in front of the glass wall separating the ICU from the rest of the med bay. "Mags?"

"The only reason you were released was because your friend Ben found indisputable evidence that you couldn't have assaulted the Mayor. If not for that, Captain Turpin would've done pretty much whatever Lord wanted him to. He's already preparing squads to start going after unregistered aliens the second the Mayor gives the order."

"You're shitting me," Alex scowled.

Another sigh. "I wish I was. While Ben was getting you out, I went to the Captain to hand in the diamond Ms. Darieux had oh-so-thoughtfully returned and find out why the fuck he'd gone along with Lord's accusations on practically no evidence. He made it perfectly clear that Lord's agenda was his, and that I could either get with the program or hand in my badge and gun."

"You didn't…."

"I did," Maggie nodded. "Like I told Kara, I won't be turned into some jackbooted thug for Lord's anti-alien bullshit. I'd rather be unemployed…even if it does mean giving up my nice apartment…."

Alex moved over to where Maggie stood, wrapping her arms around the smaller woman from behind. "Stay with me," she whispered.

"At your apartment?"

The immortal nodded. "I won't have my girlfriend flung to the streets like some vagrant just because she stood up for her principles to her apparently-lousy boss."

"So I'm your girlfriend?" Maggie grinned, twisting around to face Alex.

"I-if that's okay. I mean—" The now ex-detective cut her off with a kiss.

"It's more than okay," she nodded, once they parted. "I was getting ready to ask _you_ , anyway. You just beat me to it."

"Sorry if I stole your thunder."

Maggie shook her head, putting her good hand on the back of Alex's neck. "Don't apologize. I think everything worked out perfectly." She pulled her girlfriend into another lingering kiss, which ended when one of the machines attached to Kara started beeping incessantly. Swearing, Alex ran over to check. It wasn't anything life-threatening, fortunately…just an alert that the stuff being put through the feeding tube currently sticking out of Kara's nose had finished. Alex disconnected the tube from the machine and pushed said machine to the side until the next feeding. She then grabbed some fresh bandages from the supply drawer and carefully rolled her sister onto her side so she could change the dressings on her wounds. Most of them were already starting to close up, which was definitely a good sign. But there was still quite a bit of internal damage to deal with as well. Kara had gotten lucky in that none of the bullets had struck her heart, though Alex couldn't help but wonder if that was deliberate, given the apparent skill with which the attack had been carried out (at least, according to Lena). But the damage that had been done would take some time to heal. Exactly how long was hard to say, since they had no prior experiences like this to go from. Alex just hoped that, between their surgical repairs and the sun lamps, none of the damage would be permanent.

Once Kara's back was taken care of, Alex gently laid her back down and changed the bandages from where they'd opened her up to operate (which was also just about healed, thankfully). With that done, she gave her sister a soft kiss on the forehead, then reclaimed her chair at Kara's bedside. A moment later, she felt a hand on her arm and looked over to find that Maggie had pulled up her own chair, facing the opposite direction so that she could reach Alex with her good hand. "How is she?" the ex-detective asked softly.

"Healing. But she may have a long road ahead. Depends on how well the solar lamps can deal with this kind of damage." Alex sighed, almost instinctively grasping her girlfriend's hand. "It's funny…before all of this, I used to wish that I had Kara's healing abilities. Now, I'd love nothing more than to lend her even a fraction of mine." In response, Maggie gently squeezed her hand and kissed it, and the two lapsed into a surprisingly comfortable silence, given the circumstances.

TBC (*evil laugh* Will Kara recover? Tune in Tuesday to find out! See you then!)


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

A/N: Thanks again for the favorites/follows/reviews so far. On to the next chapter!

* * *

While Kara recovered, Alex and Maggie practically lived at the DEO base, the immortal rarely leaving her sister's side. The only times she did were when Lena came for her daily visit – during which Alex would hole up in the training room and run through her sword drills, lest she be tempted to do something to the CEO that Kara might make her regret once the Kryptonian regained consciousness – and whenever there was an alien-related crisis that the regular agents couldn't handle on their own, or when one of said agents came up with a lead on Kara's assailants. Unfortunately, even with the information Lena had been able to provide, said leads were few and far between. They found the SUV abandoned near the harbor and dusted it for prints, but when they ran the prints that they were able to pull, the people they belonged to were all either dead or off in some other country that had no extradition treaty with the US. The company that the SUV had belonged to was tied to an anti-alien mercenary outfit known as Veil, and Lucy had attempted to subpoena their client records via their legitimate business front, but they were fighting the subpoena and the process was frustratingly slow. And the group's servers were nigh-impossible to hack, even for the combined skills of Winn and Vasquez. Alex was positive that Lord had hired the mercenaries, but under the current regime anything short of a publicly broadcast confession – one that hadn't been obviously beaten out of him – would likely be ignored. She'd even reached out to Dawson and Ben in hopes that they might have some contacts the DEO didn't. But they weren't having much luck either in connecting Lord to the attack on Kara. And, for reasons the older immortal wasn't sharing, she couldn't seem to convince Ben to take over as her teacher despite his comments at the police station about her being worth something. Nor could she get him to put her in contact with someone who would be willing to help. Alex didn't know if it had to do with the atmosphere in National City, or if something else was at play, but that didn't make it any less frustrating. But as long as Lord kept his distance, she supposed she could take the time to figure things out on her own. It was hard to imagine doing anything besides the sword drills without Jo, anyway, even though the logical part of her brain told her that she couldn't possibly prepare to face another immortal without practicing against someone.

As for the younger Danvers, she was definitely on the road to recovery – albeit a road that was maddeningly long and slow. The external damage was the first to heal completely. It was the internal damage that was still causing problems. They'd been able to take her off the ventilator after about a week, her lungs having repaired themselves enough that she could breathe on her own again, but they maintained the coma while her other damaged organs continued to heal. Every day that passed with Kara still in no condition to be woken up was like a knife being jammed into Alex's heart…especially given the lack of progress in finding those responsible. Ben continued to advise patience when they spoke, but that was way easier said than done with Lord going on TV every day to gloat over Supergirl missing his stupid deadline and apparently choosing to leave National City to his 'real' heroes instead of sticking around. Alex wished they could put the real story out there – one of the few things she and Lena agreed on – but, since Kara was attacked as herself and not as Supergirl, doing so could compromise her identity. And the elder Danvers would never do that to her baby sister, no matter how satisfying it would be to stick it to Lord and show the city his true colors.

They were making some progress on figuring out Lord's so-called 'technosite,' but neither she nor the resident computer experts had been able to find any way to disable it without potentially killing the host. On the upside, she'd come up with a means of identifying hosts, even before the 'technosite' was activated. If they could get one of those hosts into the lab, Alex was sure they could find a solution. Unfortunately, that would most likely require kidnapping, and the DEO was walking a fine enough line as it was trying to help the non-hostile aliens who were literally afraid for their lives under the ARA. Their best bet would be to locate a host with a still-dormant 'technosite' and convince that person to come in voluntarily. But that would have to wait until Kara was in the clear, since she didn't want to leave her sister's side for as long as locating a host would take and wasn't in the mood to spend time trying to explain the identification device she'd developed to the less scientifically-inclined field agents under her command. If Hamilton were there, she'd gladly have sent the doctor out to find them a test subject. But Amelia hadn't been seen since before Kara was attacked, and Alex was starting to fear the worst – especially in light of what Dawson had told Jo about Lord's proclivity towards dismembering Watchers. She and Lucy had been sending out search parties every day, only to come up empty each time.

"Director Danvers?" the slightly-accented voice of Lena Luthor asked, jarring Alex from her thoughts. She looked up to see the CEO walking into Kara's hospital room like she owned it.

Frowning, the young immortal checked her watch as Lena took a seat on the opposite side of Kara's bed. "Your visiting time isn't for another three hours, Ms. _Luthor_ ," she growled.

"I know," Lena nodded, seemingly unfazed. "But I was hoping to talk to you."

"If this is about whatever feelings you think you might have for my sister, I'm not interested. And I sure as fuck don't approve."

The youngest Luthor shook her head. "Good thing I'm not asking for your approval. But no, that's not what I wanted to talk about. I think I might have figured out how those mercenaries knew where to find Kara that night."

That got Alex's attention. "What did you find?" she demanded, getting up from her chair and moving next to Lena.

"My executive assistant has been acting a bit odd as of late," Lena explained, pulling out a tablet. "So I took the liberty of investigating her internet and phone activity, as is my right as her boss." She brought up what looked like a cell phone activity trace. Alex understood the basics of how that sort of thing worked, but Winn and Vasquez would be better suited to pick it apart.

"Looks like your assistant has been calling a burner phone," Alex remarked, recognizing the signs from having watched the resident computer geniuses run similar traces in the past. "How does that help?"

Lena pulled up another screen. "I was able to trace the particular brand of burner phone associated with that number, and it's a prototype next-generation device being developed by Lord Technologies. It's not available to the general public at the moment. I only know about it because, of course, I have to keep abreast of the competition. Lord really should have given up his company when he took office, but in this case his questionable ethics actually work to our advantage."

"Any idea why she was calling that number?"

"I'm afraid not," the youngest Luthor sighed. She pulled the first screen back up. "However, if you look at the call logs, she contacted that number only an hour before Kara and I were shot at. Frankly, that's a bit too much of a coincidence for my tastes."

Alex nodded, actually impressed by Lena's detective work but unwilling to admit it out loud. "I don't suppose we could talk to your assistant?"

"She's waiting outside in the car. Feel free to bring her in. If she betrayed me, I'd like to know about it as much as you do."

"Thanks," the immortal muttered. Somewhat reluctantly leaving Lena alone with her sister, Alex sent a couple of agents out to retrieve the traitorous assistant, then went to hunt down Maggie. She eventually found her girlfriend – who had been able to get rid of the sling a few days prior – holed up with Winn in one of their R&D labs. They'd been doing that quite a bit since Maggie had told her boss where to shove the job, and if Alex didn't know that her girlfriend had absolutely zero interest in men and Winn had something going on with Vasquez (though the two had at least attempted to be discrete), she might have been jealous. As it was, she was just insanely curious as to what they could possibly be up to. But there would be plenty of time for that later. "Got a minute?" she asked, poking her head into the room where the pair were bent over a worktable.

Maggie looked up, grinning. "For you, babe? I've got as much time as you need. What's up?"

"I was hoping you might lend me a hand with something." As she spoke, Alex walked in and drew her girlfriend off to one side. "Lena came in a little while ago with a possible way to tie Lord to the attack on Kara. Seems her assistant has been making calls to a Lord Tech burner phone, including one just an hour before the attack. Care to help me question her?"

"Will we be able to do anything with the information?"

Alex sighed. "Probably not…or, at least, not right away. We both know that the NCPD won't lift a finger against Lord. But Lucy's trying to put together some sort of Federal case against him in hopes that the FBI or some other organization with actual legal authority might be willing to step in. And even if that wasn't the case, _I_ would like to know on the off-chance I get the opportunity to take that fucker down myself."

"Fair enough. Good cop, bad cop?" Maggie asked, pointing to herself and her girlfriend in turn.

"Why am I automatically the bad cop?"

The ex-detective's eyebrow shot up. "I'm not the one who interrogated Kol with a fucking bar stool."

"That was one time! I was trying to save your life!"

"And I'm grateful…really," Maggie assured her, brushing her fingers along the immortal's cheek. "Just saying I'm a little more adept at sweet-talking suspects than you are."

Alex sighed once more, unable to argue the point. "Fine," she muttered. "Shall we?"

"Of course." Maggie pulled her into a quick kiss, then turned to Winn. "Be back in a few. Don't get too crazy while I'm gone, okay?"

"No problem," he nodded, tossing off a mock salute before returning to whatever he had going on the work table. Seemingly satisfied, the ex-detective left the room with Alex right on her heels.

"What was all that about?"

Maggie shrugged. "Just a little side project we've been working on."

"What kind of side project?"

"The kind that's a surprise."

Alex frowned. "No offense, babe, but as Director I think I have a right to know what our resources are being used for."

"And you will…when it's ready. You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course I trust you."

"Good," she grinned. "Then it's settled. Time to go have that chat with Lena's assistant."

Nodding, the immortal moved ahead of her girlfriend and headed for the interrogation room, where the young woman in question was already waiting. "You know you're in deep shit, right?" she growled, not bothering with the pleasantries. The assistant looked positively terrified, and Alex found herself reveling in that terror as she stared her down.

A moment later, Maggie closed the door to the interrogation room and pulled her girlfriend back. "What my partner means to say is that we have some questions for you concerning your recent activities." As she spoke, the ex-detective took a seat across from the frightened assistant, setting a can of diet soda in front of her that Alex recognized as part of Lucy's stash.

With trembling hands, the young woman opened the can and took a tentative sip. "W-what would you like to know?"

Alex pulled out her phone and brought up the documents Lena had emailed her before she'd sent the agents after the wayward assistant, setting the phone where said assistant could see the screen. "We know you've been having clandestine communications with someone at Lord Technologies, and that one of those communications took place just an hour before someone took shots at your boss. If you don't tell us who the fuck you've been talking to and why, I guarantee you'll be spending the rest of your life someplace no one will ever find you."

"Y-you can't do that!" the assistant stammered. "I have rights! I want my lawyer!"

Alex laughed harshly. "This isn't the NCPD, kid. Officially, this organization doesn't even exist. Which means your rights ended the moment you walked through my door. Now start talking!" she snarled, slamming her hands on the table for emphasis.

The girl whimpered a bit. "I didn't do anything wrong!" she insisted.

"Bullshit. If you didn't do anything wrong, why were you being so secretive?"

"T-that's not your business."

Seeing red, Alex grabbed the assistant by the shirt and lifted her out of the chair, slamming her back against the wall. "Someone I love is currently in a coma because she tried to protect your boss from whatever the fuck you've gotten yourself into! That fucking makes it my business! Tell me what you know right the fuck now, or I'll start demonstrating all of the excruciatingly painful ways I know to make you talk!" The girl started crying, and before Alex could do anything else she found herself being pulled away by Maggie.

"That's enough!" the ex-detective barked, moving to comfort the bawling assistant. "I think you need to leave." Maggie gave her a look that said she had a plan, so Alex raised her hands in mock surrender.

"Fine…coddle the brat. Just don't come whining to me when she doesn't give you anything." She turned and left, slipping into a nearby computer room and pulling up the feed from the interrogation room on one of the monitors. The immortal watched with pride and awe as her girlfriend masterfully drew the whole story out of Lena's wayward assistant. Despite what the initial evidence had suggested, it turned out that the girl wasn't some criminal. She'd just fallen for the wrong man – Maxwell Lord – and was too love-struck to realize that Lord was using her. On the day of the attack, the so-called Mayor had managed to coax her into revealing Lena and Kara's evening plans. Alex figured the mercenaries had probably been waiting outside for the two of them to leave the bar, and struck the moment their target(s) appeared. They still had no direct connection between Lord and his hired guns, but at least they now knew that he'd had the information necessary to set the attack into motion.

Someone opened the computer room door, and Alex turned to see Lucy walk in. "Did we get anything?"

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "Turns out the girl thought she was in some sort of relationship with Lord and the fucker used her shamelessly to get information. I almost feel sorry for her."

"Information connected to the attack on Kara?"

Another nod. "Now all we need are those records from Veil's so-called 'security' firm. Any luck there?"

"I'm afraid not. They're hiding behind their army of lawyers. And since we don't actually have any sort of case filed against them at the moment, it's not likely the court will step in and order them to hand anything over."

Alex swore. "I don't suppose we could go ahead and sue them or something, could we? Maybe go after them in civil court for hurting Kara?"

"Not unless we want to compromise her identity. We go to civil court, and the part about the bullets being made of Kryptonite is bound to come out. I could talk to the DA about criminal charges against the company for facilitation, but it's still risky. Our best hope would be to use the threat of criminal charges to get them to roll on Lord. I'd just have to figure out some way to justify those charges without dragging your sister into the spotlight."

"Fine," the immortal muttered. "Just try not to drag this out too long, okay? The sooner we can take Lord down, the better off we'll all be."

Lucy nodded. "No arguments there. I'll do my best, Alex. That's all I can promise." With that, the lawyer turned her attention to the monitors, where they could see Maggie still working her magic on Lena's assistant. "You've definitely got a keeper there, Danvers," she grinned. "Think she'd be willing to come work for us now that she's left the NCPD?"

"Already made my pitch. She's not interested in joining the DEO on any sort of permanent basis. I kind of think she's hoping that maybe she can get her job back once Lord is dealt with and someone reasonable is put in charge of the police. But she's also looking into getting a Private Investigator's license, just in case."

"Fair enough," Lucy shrugged. Before either of them could say anything further, an alarm started blaring – one Alex recognized as coming from the med bay.

"Shit!" she spat. "Tell Maggie to meet me in Kara's room when she's done." Without another word, Alex sprinted through the halls back to her sister. Kara's body was shaking like she was having some kind of seizure, and Lena was attempting to fiddle with one of the machines attached to the Kryptonian. Alex grabbed the CEO and shoved her back. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"I was just trying to help!"

"Well, don't. Leave it to those who actually know what the fuck they're doing." Pushing past Lena, Alex grabbed a syringe from one of the supply drawers and injected a dose of phenobarbital into Kara's IV to calm the seizures. Once they stopped, the immortal started looking over the various machine readouts and running tests to figure out what had just happened.

"Is she going to be okay?" Lena ventured, far less calm and collected than she usually appeared.

Alex frowned. "Her body is starting to reject the medication we've been giving her to keep her under. We knew this might happen eventually. Human medicine and Kryptonian healing don't always mix."

"Is that bad?"

"If it had happened last week, I'd say yes. But at this point, her body has healed enough that the coma may no longer be necessary. Perhaps this is just her way of telling us she's ready to wake up." As she spoke, Alex made adjustments to the machine feeding Kara the sedatives. Normally, the patient would have to be weaned off the drugs gradually, but under the circumstances it was probably less dangerous to just cut them off. Alex wasn't sure Kara could handle more seizures. "Now, we just have to wait." She dropped down into her usual chair, not even complaining when the youngest Luthor did likewise on the other side of the bed.

Alex must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew, someone was poking her in the arm. She cracked her eyes open to find Maggie standing over her. "Wake up!" the ex-detective hissed.

"Wha…?"

"Look!" Maggie pointed to the bed, where Kara was clearly starting to stir. Lena was already standing at Kara's bedside, and – not to be outdone – Alex stood up on her side, moving next to her sister's head. After several long moments, the Kryptonian finally opened her eyes.

"Lena?" she rasped, turning towards the CEO. Seeing her sister turn to someone else – a Luthor, no less – before her made the elder Danvers feel as though she'd been stabbed right through the heart yet again.

Seemingly oblivious to Alex's inner turmoil, the youngest Luthor smiled, brushing the hair away from Kara's face. "I'm here, Kara."

"W-what happened?"

Lena sighed. "Someone tried to kill you with Kryptonite bullets. You've been in a coma for nearly two weeks. Alex…she saved your life. I think she missed her calling as a surgeon." The CEO met Alex's eyes as she spoke, her expression one of pure gratitude and relief, and for a moment the immortal couldn't bring herself to hate the youngest Luthor. Kara followed Lena's gaze with a look that Alex couldn't quite read, despite how well she knew her sister.

"Alex?"

"Yeah," she smiled, brushing her fingers along Kara's cheek. "No way I was letting you die on my watch. Mom would never let me hear the end of it."

Kara actually laughed a bit, then winced, a pained expression crossing her features. "How bad was it?"

Alex sighed. "Bad. You were damned lucky that none of the bullets went near your heart. As it was, we nearly lost you several times on the table." Her voice caught, and she quickly brushed away the tears that had slipped out before composing herself. "Most of the damage seems to have healed, but you're still going to have to take it easy for a while so the process can finish. Though with Lord on the warpath, maybe that's a good thing."

"Warpath? What's going on?" She looked to Lena, who shook her head.

"Perhaps I should let you two talk."

Kara pouted. "You don't have to leave, Lena."

"It's okay," Lena smiled. "I have an assistant to reprimand, anyway."

Alex's eyebrow shot up. "Reprimand?"

"You know what they say about keeping one's enemies close." She leaned down and kissed Kara on the cheek, making the Kryptonian's eyes light up in a way Alex hadn't seen in quite some time. The elder Danvers still wasn't sure exactly what was going on between the two, but it was getting harder to argue against letting it play out. "I'll be back later," Lena assured Kara. With a slight nod to Alex and Maggie, the CEO turned and left. A moment later, the ex-detective pulled her girlfriend into a quick kiss.

"I'm going to go, too…make sure Winn isn't going too crazy with our project."

"Okay," Alex nodded. She kissed Maggie one more time before letting her girlfriend follow Lena out the door. Without the other two women to act as buffers, the Danvers sisters lapsed into a somewhat awkward silence for several long moments before Kara finally spoke up.

"What's going on, Alex?" she asked softly. The immortal sat herself down on the edge of the bed, taking her sister's hand. She half-expected Kara to object to the contact, but the Kryptonian didn't complain once.

"We can't prove it yet, but I'm positive that Mayor Lord was behind that attack. The shooters were hired guns, Lena's assistant was tricked into tipping him off about your location, and on that same night, Lord brought some of his friends on the police force to the bar Maggie and I had gone to – the one Lucy's uncle owns – and had them arrest me on a bullshit assault charge and haul me off to jail. By the time I got out, you had already been brought to the DEO in critical condition. And right before the officers shoved me into the squad car, Lord said he was trying to send you a message about crossing him. I'm guessing the arrest and the loads of red tape I had to deal with to get released were to make sure I couldn't interfere."

Kara frowned. "So Maxwell Lord tried to have me killed because I wouldn't play his stupid game? I'm guessing I missed his deadline."

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "He's been on TV crowing about it almost every day since. And because we can't go public with what actually happened without compromising your identity, the people of National City are convinced that you chose to abandon them rather than follow the law."

"I have to go," the Kryptonian muttered, attempting to sit up. Alex quickly left her perch on the bed and moved to settle her sister back down.

"Sorry, Sis, but you're in no condition to walk out of here today. We don't even know if you still have your powers." Kara let loose with a burst of heat vision, narrowly missing her sister's foot. Alex glared. "Okay, so the powers are there…some of them, at least. But your body is still healing, and even if it wasn't, you don't just get up from a coma and walk out like nothing happened. I don't care what planet you're from." As she spoke, Kara tried once again to sit up and ended up crying out in pain. She dropped back down to the bed, looking at Alex in confusion. The elder Danvers immediately moved to the other side, gently rolling her sister onto her right side and lifting the hospital gown. There weren't any marks left on Kara's flesh, but Alex remembered the surgery as though it were yesterday. "Tell me when this hurts," she instructed, pressing against her sister's left kidney. Kara yelped almost immediately, and Alex pulled away, returning her sister to her previous position on her back.

"What's wrong with me? Why am I still hurting?"

Alex sighed. "Most of the bullets we removed were intact, but the one that struck your kidney shattered on impact and we had to dig around to retrieve all of the fragments – almost a dozen. I'm 99% certain we got them all, but if your condition doesn't improve soon we may have to go back in and take another look."

"Are you saying I might still have Kryptonite inside of me?" Kara frowned.

"I'm saying that it's possible a small sliver may have escaped our notice during the original surgery. Hopefully, that's not the case, but we still need to keep an eye on things for at least a few more days to be sure."

The younger Danvers sighed in apparent resignation. "Fine." She reached up to scratch at her nose and seemed surprised to find something coming out of it. "What the…?"

"We had to feed you somehow," Alex explained. "Hang on." The immortal carefully helped her sister sit up, then removed the tape holding the feeding tube in place as gently as she could. Setting the used tape aside, Alex grasped the tube itself. "I need you to take a deep breath for me," she instructed. "Nice and slow." Nodding, Kara breathed in, and as she released that breath the elder Danvers drew the tube out and set it down with the discarded tape. "Good job," Alex grinned as she helped her sister lay back down. "Now, it'll be a few days before you can have anything like pizza and potstickers, but if you're good I might be persuaded to bring you a chocolate milkshake from that ice cream place you like on 6th and Siegel."

Kara raised an eyebrow. "Is that a bribe?"

"More like an olive branch," the immortal nodded, sitting on the bed once more. "I really am sorry about that whole holding cell deal, Kar. For all my good intentions, I still couldn't protect you from Lord when it counted. Turns out he didn't even need provocation to go after you."

The younger Danvers stared at her big sister for several moments before shaking her head with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry too, Lexie," she admitted. "Angry as I was about being locked up, the more I think about it, the more I realize you were right. Wrong in execution, but right on everything else. If I'd gone after the Mayor in that state…if I'd let my anger get the best of me and killed him…I would've regretted it for the rest of my life. He may be an arrogant jackass with a god complex, but whether he lives or dies isn't my call to make. So…thanks, I guess."

"Anytime, Sis. But I'm curious…what brought on the sudden change of heart? Before the attack, you were pretty firm on giving me the silent treatment."

"Lena."

"Of course," Alex muttered.

With a slight roll of her eyes, Kara continued as though her sister hadn't spoken. "We got to talking about our families, and Lena pointed out some of the horrible things Lex has done, supposedly in the name of protecting her. You may not be perfect, Lexie, but after hearing her story…well…I guess I realized just how lucky I am to be a Danvers. At least you've never used the excuse of protecting me to disguise more sinister motives. Your intentions have always been pure." She sighed. "Point is, after talking to Lena, I realized that I was really mad at myself for letting my temper get the best of me that night, and I was taking it out on you for trying to keep me in check because it was easier than admitting how dangerously close I'd come to losing it. If I hadn't been shot, I probably would've gone by your apartment to talk after dropping Lena back at her penthouse. And I hadn't answered your texts because I thought it would be better to break the silence face-to-face."

"And yet Lena called Winn instead of me when you went down."

"She didn't know I was thinking about going to talk to you that night. I was going to ask her advice once we were someplace more private."

"Right," Alex nodded. Kara reached towards her, so the elder Danvers helped her little sister sit up long enough for a hug. She felt a couple of ribs crack when Kara squeezed – clearly, at least some of her superstrength had returned – but managed to keep from alerting the Kryptonian to that fact. A few temporarily broken ribs were well worth it to have things back to normal between them, more or less. "So…" she continued, once Kara was laying down again. "You and Lena. Anything I need to know?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kara muttered, looking away.

It was Alex's turn to roll her eyes. "Sure you don't."

"We're friends, that's all. Just friends."

Shaking her head, the elder Danvers carefully nudged her sister over enough that she could stretch out on the bed next to her. She lay facing the younger Danvers, propping her head up on her arm so that she was looking down. "I saw the way you looked when she kissed your cheek. Last time you were anywhere close to that happy was when you thought you wanted you-know-who, back when you first put on the cape."

"Does it matter?" Kara sighed. "There's no way someone like her would even be remotely interested in someone like me."

"Don't sell yourself short, Kar. You're one of the most awesome people I know, with or without the cape. And if Lena wasn't interested, she wouldn't have been in here every single day, driving me up the fucking wall while waiting for you to recover."

Hope filled Kara's eyes once more, making it even harder for Alex to hate the youngest Luthor. "Really? Every day?"

"Yep." Alex sighed. "If you're worried about me judging you for liking Lena, don't. We had this talk back in high school, when I came out to you and you couldn't understand why it was such a big deal because, on Krypton, gender didn't matter when it came to finding a mate. I know about Barbara (sort of), not to mention the ginormous crush you had on Cat Grant before you started working for her."

"Yeah," Kara chuckled, wincing a bit when the pain in her side reasserted itself. "Having her as a boss kind of killed that whole thing. Don't get me wrong…she's an amazing person and an awesome mentor. Not to mention a friend to both identities. It's just hard to think of her like _that_ now that I've gotten to really know her."

"Of course. Anyway….if you _are_ interested in Lena like that, I say go for it. Screw the whole dating moratorium."

"So you don't have any problem with me possibly being involved with a Luthor? Hypothetically speaking, of course."

"Never said that," Alex frowned. "But if she makes you happy – hypothetically speaking – I'll try my best not to strangle her in her sleep. Though she and I will _definitely_ be having the shovel talk – Danvers style."

"Can't we just skip that part?"

The immortal shook her head. "It's my duty as your big sister to ensure that all potential romantic partners understand the consequences of hurting you. Especially when that person is related to Lex fucking Luthor."

"Lena isn't Lex, Alex. She's a kind, compassionate, _decent_ person who just happens to share a name with a criminal mastermind. Lena isn't responsible for her brother's crimes any more than Winn is for what his father has done."

Alex opened her mouth to argue, only to shut it again immediately. Like it or not, Kara had a point. "Fine," she finally muttered. "But she's still getting the shovel talk. That part's mandatory."

"Whatever," Kara grumbled. "So…anything else I need to catch up on? What's going on at CatCo? Is Snapper pissed about me missing so much time?"

With a sigh, Alex got up from the bed and went over to a drawer to retrieve something. "This came for you while you were out," she said, helping Kara sit up a bit and handing her a sealed envelope bearing the CatCo logo. The Kryptonian opened the envelope and read through the contents several times before incinerating the paper. "I'm guessing the news isn't good."

"James fired me. Officially, it's because I haven't been coming in and didn't give any notice."

"Bullshit," Alex spat. "I called Snapper myself and told him you were in the fucking hospital." She shook her head. "So what's the _real_ reason?"

"Because I failed to comply with that stupid registration law. He says that as the person in charge of the Alien Registration Agency, he can't knowingly have an unregistered alien working at CatCo." Kara sighed. "Please tell me you found a way to get our James back."

"Sorry, Kar. We're trying, but disabling that fucking 'technosite' without killing him is way easier said than done. I've found a way to identify the infected even before the 'technosite' is active, and if we can convince one of them to come in voluntarily I may be able to figure out how to disable it. We'll start looking as soon as you're better. I promise."

"Okay," Kara nodded, stifling a yawn.

"Looks like someone needs her rest."

The Kryptonian shook her head. "No way. I just spent the past two weeks in a coma."

"Which isn't the same thing as normal sleep. Listen to your body, Sis. If it wants rest, then rest. Fighting it will only mess with your healing process. Do you want me to give you something?"

"I don't want sleeping drugs. But I wouldn't say no to something for the pain in my kidney."

"Coming right up." Alex grabbed the appropriate medication and loaded it into a machine that would control the dosage. She swapped that machine into place where the one with the coma drugs had been and hooked it into Kara's IV, then explained to her sister how to use it. "I'm going to go now…make sure Maggie and Winn aren't bankrupting the agency with their mystery project. I'll be back to check on you later." She kissed Kara on the forehead and left the room, almost running into Lena on the way through. Alex immediately grabbed the CEO and backed her into the nearest wall out of Kara's sight. "Let's get one thing straight, _Luthor_. I'm willing to tolerate you being around my sister because, for some unknown reason, you seem to make her happy. But if you hurt Kara in any way, you'll find out firsthand exactly how well-versed I am in the art of inflicting pain. Am I making myself clear?"

"Perfectly," Lena nodded, seemingly unfazed by the threat. "May I see her now?"

Alex grudgingly released her grip. "For a little while. But she needs her rest."

"Of course."

"Enjoy the rest of your visit," the immortal grumbled, watching the youngest Luthor move to her sister's bedside. Reminding herself that Lena wasn't their enemy – not yet, anyway – she somewhat reluctantly turned and headed for the R&D lab to check up on her girlfriend.

TBC (See you Friday!)


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

A/N: Thanks again for all the favorites/follows/reviews so far. Enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

"I need some fucking backup right the fuck now!" Alex snarled into her coms, just barely avoiding a blast from Scorcher's heat vision. After nearly two weeks of searching, she'd found an inactive host – a high-ranking officer in the NCPD Science Division and a known critic of Lord's policies (though he lacked the guts to quit) – and had been in the process of persuading the officer to come with her for testing when Lord's so-called League of Superheroes had attacked. Ducking behind a parked car, the immortal fired off a few rounds from her service weapon. Unfortunately, the shots had little effect on the aliens, and when Alex moved to try again Scorcher was able to burn a hole through her right shoulder, forcing her to drop the weapon as she bit back a cry of pain. She sank back against the car door, clutching the injured area while waiting for the Quickening to kick in and fix it. "Where the fuck is that backup, Lane?" she ground out, daring a peek at her attackers. Mon-El was 'protecting' the police officer/host and the fight club thugs were keeping the crowd back while Scorcher closed in. Shoulder healed, Alex reclaimed her gun and dove behind another vehicle just as the Infernian let loose with another blast. "Lane!"

" _ **Sorry, Danvers. There's a group of Durlan attacking tourists in the theatre district. I'm doing the best I can.**_ "

"Fuck!" she muttered, narrowly avoiding yet another burst of flame. She wasn't sure what pissed her off more: the group of rogue aliens clearly determined to set alien rights back even further, or the fact that Lord's supposed heroes were attacking her instead of dealing with the actual threat.

Suddenly, the immortal heard the distinctive sound of a motorcycle engine approaching. She took a chance and peered out from her current hiding place to see an armored figure practically fly onto the scene. The newcomer – covered almost head to toe in shiny metal – put themselves between her and the Infernian, raising their left arm and somehow producing a shield just as more heat vision headed their way. Amazingly, the shield actually absorbed the blast without so much as a scratch. Moments later, the armored person leapt forward and slammed the shield into Scorcher, knocking her back several feet. Alex quickly took advantage, sprinting to where the Infernian landed and holding her at gunpoint. "Don't even fucking think about it," she growled. Meanwhile, the newbie seemed to have their hands full with the fight club thugs. And yet, the thugs were losing…almost as if the armored person had someone looking over their shoulder. Alex gave Scorcher a hard boot to the head to knock her out before cuffing her to the nearest stationary object, then pulled out her baton and moved in to help her new ally. There was something familiar in the way the newcomer fought, and fighting in tandem alongside them felt almost instinctual to Alex. Together, the pair soon subdued the fight club thugs, only to realize that Mon-El had slipped away with the officer/host and more cops were on their way…and probably not to help either of them.

"Come with me if you want to live," the armored person quoted, voice disguised with a modulator. The eyes behind the mask, however, were all-too familiar. But now wasn't the time. The armored person remounted the motorcycle and Alex climbed on behind them, slipping her sword into the mount that the bike conveniently possessed. They were soon zipping through the streets of National City, easily evading the police as they made their way to the harbor and pulled into a rear area of a building she recognized as Jo's warehouse. Before she could even ask, her new companion ushered her into the main part of the building and upstairs. Alex felt the presence of another immortal almost as soon as they'd entered, and sure enough Ben was waiting for them in what had been Jo's loft.

"Took you long enough," he shrugged, knocking back a beer.

As he spoke, the armored person removed their helmet to reveal Maggie. "Sorry. Had to make sure we weren't being followed."

Alex stared at the two for several moments. "W-what the fuck?" she finally managed.

"I'll let you take this one," Ben nodded to Maggie before wandering into the kitchen area. Alex shed her coat, making a mental note to find some way to patch the hole Scorcher had left in it, and then popped into Jo's bedroom and changed into a clean, undamaged shirt from her late mentor's wardrobe. Reentering the living area, Alex turned to her girlfriend, who was in the process of removing the rest of the armor.

"Is this what you and Winn have been working on?" Alex asked, gesturing to the growing pile of metal bits next to Maggie.

The ex-detective nodded. "It was supposed to be for James before he went all pod-person on us. Winn told me about it after Kara got hurt, and I thought it sounded like a good idea. We even took the time to make improvements to the rush job James had insisted on. Gives me a way to still help out even though I don't have my badge anymore."

"Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?" the young immortal frowned, doing her best to ignore the desire that the practically-skintight material beneath the armor was stirring up.

"No more dangerous than being a cop. Hell, if anything I'd say that the fancy armor Winn and I cooked up makes it _less_ dangerous."

"How so?"

"Well, for starters the armor is made of promethium, lined with lead to keep my identity from a certain Kryptonian we all know and love – at least until I'm ready to come clean. And it borrows a bit from your Kryptonite exoskeleton, in the sense that Winn used some of the specs from that to add in strength enhancers so I can go toe-to-toe with any alien we might encounter. There are also a few other surprises built in."

"Like that shield thing?"

Maggie nodded. "The promethium also makes the armor impervious to just about everything. And, just in case, the bodysuit I'm wearing underneath is made from some Kryptonian material Winn was able to replicate from Kara's database that's also supposed to be virtually indestructible. So I'm about as safe as I can possibly be, doing what we do."

"And I'm sure your backup helps," Alex added, gently plucking the earpiece from her girlfriend's ear. She brought it up to her own ear and tapped it to activate the mic. "Winn?"

" _ **D-director Danvers! I-I can explain...**_ "

"It's fine, Winn. I get it. Just keep doing what you're doing."

" _ **Yes Ma'am**_."

"I'll see you back at the base later." With that, she turned the earpiece off once more and returned it to Maggie.

"How did you know?"

Alex shrugged. "The way you were fighting out there…it was like someone was watching your back the whole time. Pretty easy to guess that you had some sort of help. Makes me feel better, actually. I don't like the idea of you being out there alone. Not with the way things have been going lately." She sighed, reaching out and tucking some of Maggie's hair behind her ear. "I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you, Mags."

"Don't worry about me, babe," Maggie grinned, taking Alex's hand in hers. "I may not have your healing ability, but that doesn't mean taking me out will be easy. My plan is to be around long enough to make everyone else in the nursing home jealous of me and my young, sexy girlfriend."

Laughing, the young immortal grabbed her girlfriend and pulled her into a passionate kiss. "You have no idea how hard it is not to rip that bodysuit off and have my way with you right here and now," she murmured into Maggie's ear.

"As…entertaining…as all of this is," Ben chimed in, effectively killing the mood, "I'd like to finish what I came here for before I'm late for my date."

Rolling her eyes, Alex turned around to face the older immortal, only to find a set of keys being thrown at her. "What the fuck?" she asked, just barely managing to catch them.

"It's your inheritance. Jo left you this place and everything in it. Enjoy." With that, Ben started downstairs, only to have Alex rush over and grab him by the arm.

"So that's it? You refuse to meet me in person for weeks, and now that you're here you can't get away fast enough. We both know that Jo would want you to pick up where she left off." Her voice caught a bit as she spoke of her late mentor, but she forced back the tears that threatened to emerge. Now wasn't the time. "What happened to me being worth something?" she demanded, meeting the older immortal's eyes.

Ben shook his head, jerking his arm from Alex's grip. "I stand by what I said. But when it comes to survival, no one's head takes precedence over mine. And sticking around here, where a powerful and dangerous immortal has painted a target on your back, is suicide. Jo found that out the hard way," he added, and it was all Alex could do not to slug him for being so cavalier about her mentor's murder. "If you're willing to come with me, I'd be happy to pass on some of my hard-earned wisdom and teach you the best strategies for keeping your head where it is."

"You know I can't do that. I won't abandon my sister, and there's no way she'll leave National City unless she has no other option."

"Your funeral," Ben shrugged. "As for me, I'll be taking my leave. And I've strongly advised my friends to stay away as well. I'm sorry, but there's no point in teaching someone who clearly has a death wish." With that, he turned and left, not giving the younger immortal a chance to respond.

"The nerve of that asshole," Alex muttered, wondering why the hell Jo had even been friends with Ben in the first place. It sure as hell wasn't his personality. Wiping away the tears that had trickled out at the memory of her mentor, she turned to Maggie and held up the keys. "You knew about this?"

The ex-detective nodded, looking a little pissed at Ben's attitude as well. "Jackass mentioned it while we were on our way to bail you out of jail. I would've brought it up that day, but then Kara got hurt, and after that the time just never seemed right."

"So why today?"

"I don't know," Maggie shrugged. "We needed a place to lay low after taking out Lord's goons, and I figured it was as good a time as any. Sent a message to Ben to meet us here so he could officially hand over the keys. Though if I'd known he would be such a prick I'd have taken the keys and passed them on myself. That selfish fuck has a shitload of bullets waiting for him if he shows his face here again. He had no right to speak to you like that. Putting other people before yourself doesn't make you suicidal. I don't give a fuck what his so-called 'experience' says."

"Maybe he has a point," Alex muttered, contemplating the keys in her hand.

Maggie shook her head, hooking a hand behind her girlfriend's neck and pulling her close. "Fuck that," she growled. "I don't give a fuck how many centuries Ben has behind him. He doesn't know _you_. Or me. We're the type to run _into_ danger when everyone else is running away. Just because looking out for number one works for him, doesn't mean that's the kind of philosophy you need. And if he wants to take the coward's way out, then he can go fuck himself. You're better off without his punk ass. Got it?"

"Got it," the young immortal nodded, drawing Maggie into a soft kiss. Pulling away, she moved over to the rail and glanced out over the lower floor. "Maybe I'm wrong, but this doesn't look exactly as I'd left it."

"I kinda took the liberty of doing some work in here after Kara woke up. Nothing fancy, but Vasquez and I walled off part of the downstairs area with lead…give you someplace to keep the swords and stuff in case your sister drops by. And I'm keeping my Guardian stuff in there too. If you don't mind, that is."

The immortal's eyebrow shot up. "Guardian?"

Maggie shrugged again. "I'm helping to protect this city from Lord and his jackboots. What else would you call it?"

"Fair point," Alex nodded. "Now if I can just find an inactive 'technosite' host to run tests on without Mayor Fuckwad getting in my way…."

"We'll figure it out, Alex," Maggie assured her, taking hold of her hand once more. "All of it. Stronger together, right?"

"Stronger together," she repeated, pulling her girlfriend close. Alex wasn't entirely sure _how_ they were going to deal with the stupid parasite thing, or the whole immortal training issue for that matter, but just having Maggie by her side made her feel as though she could do anything. "Now…where were we?" she muttered, drawing Maggie into another passionate kiss, which the ex-detective-turned-vigilante eagerly returned. Without breaking the kiss, Alex managed to locate the zipper to the bodysuit and was about to pull it down when her phone rang. She reluctantly pulled away and checked her phone to find her sister's name on the caller ID. Kara had been home and back at full strength for about a week, though she still had the occasional twinge of pain in her kidney from where they'd had to go back in and remove a tiny shard of Kryptonite that they'd somehow missed the first time. She'd been strongly advised to curtail any super-activities for the time being – both for the sake of her recovery and due to the current political climate – and had instead been splitting her time (since she no longer had a day job to go to) between her sister and Lena. Today was a 'Lena' day, so Alex was surprised that Kara was calling at all. Mouthing an apology to Maggie, she hit the answer button and turned on the speaker. "Kara?"

" _ **It's Lena**_ ," the CEO responded with the slight accent that Alex could never quite place.

"Why are you calling from my sister's phone?"

" _ **We have a…situation.**_ "

" _ **Hi Lexie!**_ " Alex heard her sister slur before she could even ask Lena what she meant.

"Is she drunk?"

" _ **Apparently, this bar serves something called 'Aldebaran Rum' that has that effect on Kryptonians.**_ "

Alex sighed, sharing a concerned look with her girlfriend. "Why are you buying her…whatever the fuck that is…in the middle of the day? If this is about you trying to get into her pants…."

" _ **Of course it's not!**_ " Lena huffed, clearly offended. " _ **It was her decision. Seems her landlord got wind of her current employment situation and decided to kick her out. Luckily, I know some excellent movers who were able to retrieve her belongings before that arsehole tossed them to the curb, but the whole situation upset Kara enough that she decided drinking was a good idea.**_ "

"Right," the immortal growled, silently vowing to go give that landlord an ass-kicking he wouldn't soon forget. As she seethed at Kara's latest bout of bad luck, she could hear her sister drunkenly singing along to some cheesy country anthem that was playing on the dive bar's jukebox. "Still not quite sure why you're calling me. Just get her into your car and drive her back to your place."

" _ **It's not that simple, I'm afraid. The police are outside. Seems someone tipped them off to unregistered aliens at this establishment. Megan is out there trying to buy time, but I know that neither of us wants to see Kara outed as you-know-who and carted off like some common criminal. And I'd have to get past the police somehow to reach my car.**_ "

"Alright. There's a back door just past the restrooms. It leads into an alley. Get Kara out there somehow, and Maggie and I will be there ASAP to take her someplace safe."

" _ **Okay. We'll see you soon.**_ "

" _ **Bye Lexie!**_ " Kara called out just before Lena hung up. Alex shook her head. Apparently, her mother shouldn't have skipped giving Kara the lecture on drinking after all.

"You don't have a car around here, do you? Because I don't think we'll be able to get my drunken sister on the back of my bike, even if I did have time to go retrieve it from the DEO garage."

" _I_ don't, but I did see one parked around the side of the building. Think the keys are on that ring Ben gave you."

Jo's car. Of course. "Let's go," Alex muttered, locating the correct key as she made her way outside. She quickly found Jo's Caddy and started it up. Moments later, Maggie slipped into the passenger seat, apparently having thrown jeans and her leather jacket on over the bodysuit. Hopefully, Kara would be too drunk to notice. They drove to the other end of the alley – out of sight of the police – and parked, then headed to where Lena was waiting with a clearly-inebriated Kryptonian.

"Hey!" Kara slurred. "You look like my sister…and my sister's girlfriend."

Alex and Maggie shared a look. If not for the police looking to round up unregistered aliens, seeing Kara drunk would actually be pretty funny. As it was, the immortal was just hoping they could get her out without causing a scene. "Let me," Maggie whispered. "Wouldn't be the first drunk alien I've had to deal with." Giving Alex a quick kiss on the cheek, the newly-christened vigilante moved to kneel down in front of Kara. "Hey there, Little Danvers."

"Little!" the Kryptonian snorted. "I'm taller than you are. Like…way taller."

Maggie shrugged. "Maybe. But you're still Alex's little sister. Anyway…you want to come for a ride with us?"

"Can Lena come? She's sooo smart…and pretty….You're sooooo pretty," she added, looking at the CEO.

With an indulgent smile, Lena ran a hand through Kara's hair. "Tempting as that is, I'm afraid something's come up at the office and I have to get back."

Kara snorted again. "You're the boss. Tell everyone to go home so we can…can…what's the word?"

"Hang out?" Maggie supplied.

"That one!" The younger Danvers looked at Lena hopefully, and the CEO sighed.

"Sorry, Kara. I really can't stay. Go with your sister and Ms. Sawyer, sleep this off, and maybe we can spend some time together tomorrow. Okay?"

"Okey-dokey!" Kara sing-songed. "Let's go!" She sat there for several moments, brow furrowed as if trying to concentrate. "Uh-oh," she finally giggled. "I think I forgot how to…to…."

"Walk?" Maggie suggested, and the younger Danvers nodded. Rolling her eyes, the former detective moved to Kara's right side and threw one of the Kryptonian's arms across her shoulders, as Alex did the same on the left. "Alright…on three. One…two…." They hauled Kara back to her feet and started walking her down the alley as Lena headed in the other direction. "I'm going to fucking kill M'gann," Maggie muttered, sending Kara into another giggling fit at her use of a swear word.

Alex's eyebrow shot up as she gently put a hand over her sister's mouth to quiet her before they attracted attention, as they were almost back to the car. "Why?"

"She should know better than to give that Aldebaran shit to someone who's not used to drinking. It packs one hell of a punch…or so I've heard."

"You don't know?"

"That shit's lethal to humans," the ex-detective explained. "But I've seen enough aliens drunk on it to have an idea of the effects."

"Will she be alright? I mean, this isn't going to do any permanent damage, is it?"

Maggie shook her head. "No…nothing permanent. But she's probably going to have a monster hangover tomorrow."

"Hangover, I can deal with," Alex nodded as they reached the car and maneuvered Kara into the backseat. "Maybe it'll make her think twice before trying strange alien booze again."

"Did that ever work for you with human alcohol?"

"Well, no. But I'm not Kara."

"No, I am!" Kara giggled.

Rolling her eyes, Alex climbed into the driver's seat and started the car as Maggie got in on the passenger side. "Of course you are."

"Oooh…can we play a game, Lexie?"

"Sure," the elder Danvers nodded. "Why don't we play the quiet game? See who can be quiet the longest."

"Okay! I bet I can be qui…qui….not talk longer than you!"

"We'll see. Let's start right now." She glanced at the rearview mirror to see her sister nod, and after a moment or two to be sure it would take, Alex pulled out of the parking spot and headed back to the warehouse. They passed the bar on their way through, and it was all the immortal could do not to respond when she saw several aliens she recognized – including M'gann – being carted off, and the cops tacking a sign on the door stating that the establishment was closed. ' _That's our fucking bar!_ ' Sure, she hadn't been spending much time there since the whole immortality thing kicked in, but it was the principle of the matter. Clearly, there was no depth to which Lord wouldn't stoop to get his way. She wouldn't be surprised if at least a few of the captured aliens suddenly showed up on his so-called 'Legion of Superheroes' team, courtesy of his damned 'technosites' (which, during a brief lull in her earlier encounter with the current team, she'd been able to confirm as having been used on them via her detection device – the knowledge being only good thing that had come out of the incident). Kara, thankfully, hadn't been infected, which Alex figured was out of pride. Lord's massive ego wouldn't allow him to bring down the great Supergirl in such a cheap manner. Not that it made what he was doing to the other aliens in National City any better. What drove Alex craziest was the lack of outcry from the human citizens – the same ones who'd been cheering when President Marsdin signed the Alien Amnesty Act. She didn't want to believe that Roulette had been right about humans not caring what happened to aliens, but the evidence was certainly starting to pile up in Ms. Sinclair's favor.

They made it back to the warehouse without incident, only to have another problem present itself: how to get Kara up the narrow staircase leading up to the loft, since she didn't want her sister on the lower level until she had a chance to make sure it had been cleared of anything immortal-related. Thankfully, the loft didn't contain anything that couldn't be explained. "Where are we?" Kara asked, clapping her hand over her mouth and giggling a moment later. "Oops…guess I lost."

Alex rolled her eyes again as she cut the engine. "We're at my new secret clubhouse." Maybe not entirely accurate, but she wasn't sure how to explain inheriting the place from Jo without going into the whole immortal deal.

"Cool." Kara leapt out of the car before either Alex or Maggie could stop her. But she only made it a couple of steps before doubling over, hands on her knees, looking like she was about to vomit. "Ugh…I don't feel so good, Lexie."

"I can imagine," Alex muttered, moving next to her sister and gently rubbing her back. "It'll be okay, kiddo. Let's get you inside." She glanced at Maggie, hoping that her girlfriend might have some ideas about how to manage that part.

Smiling, the former detective walked in front of Kara, leaning down to meet the younger girl's eyes. "Can you walk on your own?" she asked softly. "Or do you need help?"

"I-I think I can manage."

"Okay," Maggie nodded. "Alex and I will be right here with you, just in case." She held out a hand, which Kara took, and slowly led the Kryptonian over to the stairs. Alex walked behind Kara, keeping a hand on her sister's shoulder to help steady her. Between the two of them – with Maggie backing up the steps in front of Kara and Alex at her sister's back – they were able to get the Kryptonian up to the loft, at which point Kara bolted straight for the bathroom (once they pointed out where it was). They heard the rather distinctive sound of vomiting, and once the noise finally ceased, the younger Danvers stumbled back out of the bathroom and into her big sister's arms.

"I threw up," she mumbled, wrapping her arms around Alex's waist.

"I know."

"I haven't thrown up since I was on Krypton."

"Yeah," Alex nodded, rubbing Kara's back as she softly kissed her forehead. "Maybe you'll feel better if you get some sleep." Feeling her baby sister nod against her chest, the elder Danvers gently guided her into what had been Jo's bedroom and helped her change into a pair of loose pajamas she managed to dig up from her late mentor's belongings. The black shirt and pants weren't really Kara's style, but they would have to do until Alex could get her sister's things back from wherever Lena was storing them. That done, she helped Kara into Jo's queen-sized bed and tucked her in, carefully setting her glasses on the nightstand. The younger Danvers was asleep almost instantly. "Love you, Baby Sis," she murmured, running a hand through Kara's hair and kissing her cheek before leaving the room, closing the door behind her. Maggie was waiting for her on the couch.

"Kara's really lucky to have a sibling like you. My older brothers probably would've left me to my misery, then mocked me mercilessly while I dealt with the hangover. That's what they did with each other, anyway. Haven't spoken to any of my brothers since they stood by and let Papa kick me out of the house for being gay. Never even put up a fight."

Frowning, Alex pulled her girlfriend into a hug. "Clearly, your brothers are a bunch of shitheads if they couldn't even be bothered to stand up for you when you needed it. Want me to kick their asses?"

"No need," Maggie shrugged. "It was a long time ago. Anyway…I think we need to come up with a plan."

"For what?" the immortal asked, filing the information away for later as she went along with her girlfriend's clear desire to change the subject.

"Keeping our friends from becoming Mayor Fuckwad's next victims."

"Right," Alex sighed, dropping down on the couch next to her girlfriend. "Well…there's plenty of space downstairs. A few minor renovations, and we could probably hide them at least temporarily. Maybe cut a deal with the harbormaster to get them on a ship and out of town…assuming he's not one of Lord's toadies. Now that Lord's restricted travel for unregistered aliens, we don't have a whole lot of options for getting them to safety once we've gotten them out of holding." James Olsen had made that announcement in a morning press conference, and of course it happened to be the same day that Lord's pet cops started rounding up those who didn't register. He hadn't made an express exception for Supergirl, but knowing Lord, he probably wouldn't object if Kara decided to leave, just as long as she stayed away. Though – as she'd told Ben earlier – Alex was sure her sister would never just turn tail and run.

The ex-detective-turned-vigilante scowled, just as upset about the new rules as she was. "Is it wrong that I want to empty my gun into Maxwell fucking Lord?"

"Join the club. Too bad it wouldn't finish the job." The immortal sighed. "So…think we can get around Lord's stupid new travel rules?"

"If we talk to the right people. And hiding our alien friends here in the meantime could work. Vasquez helped with that secret room…I'm sure I could get her to lend a hand with walling off a few more areas for guests. Maybe Winn, too. And I know a few people who are good with construction and know how to keep their mouths shut. But first, we need to get our alien friends out of jail. I know the place they've probably been taken to. This could be a job for Guardian."

"Only if you have Winn on coms the whole time. If something goes wrong, I want the DEO to be able to get you out of there and safe. Okay?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Maggie smiled, giving Alex a soft kiss on the lips. "Though I wouldn't say no to having you there with me as well."

"And I'd love to help, but I think there's something else I need to be doing."

At that, her girlfriend's expression fell. "If you're planning what I think you're planning…."

"I can't just stand by and let him keep getting away with this shit, Mags."

"And who the fuck are you going to help if you go and get yourself killed? You said it yourself…Lord is dangerous. You're nowhere near ready to take him on."

"Wasn't planning to challenge him. Just want to have a little chat…make sure he understands who he's fucking with."

Maggie sighed. "I'm betting that's what Jo said, too. Look what happened."

"Fuck you!" Alex snarled, shooting to her feet and stalking over to the window. A moment later, she felt arms wrap around her waist from behind.

"I didn't mean it like that, babe," her girlfriend soothed. "I'm just scared for you, is all. Don't want to come back from that jailbreak to find you without a head. I can't imagine my life without you any more than you can imagine yours without me."

With a heavy sigh, Alex twisted around to face Maggie. "Sorry I snapped. It's just….Jo was _way_ better at this shit than I am. If she could fall to that prick, are any of us really safe?"

"Good question. Does this mean you won't go marching in there?"

"No. But I'll contact Vasquez and keep her on coms…make sure I have an extraction plan as well. The one thing Jo didn't do. Too used to going it alone, I guess."

Maggie nodded, reaching up and brushing back some of Alex's hair. "I suppose if you can trust Winn to have my back, I can trust Vasquez to have yours. Just don't do anything stupid."

"Wouldn't dream of it." She drew Maggie into a lingering kiss, only parting when air became an issue.

"On that note…if we're going to pull this off, I need to make a few phone calls. As do you. And since the best time to break into the holding facility will be after dark, I think we'll have time to get some sword training in."

Alex's eyebrow shot up. " _We_? No offense, babe, but last I checked, you were the fists and firearms type."

"I'll have you know I was the best fencer at Gotham University before I dropped out to join the Police Academy. Got a few state and national championships to prove it. Fenced all through middle school and high school, too, though my overly conservative instructor wouldn't let me compete after I was outed and got kicked out of my home, because she was afraid that the gay girl would somehow ruin her stupid reputation."

"Bitch," Alex muttered. "But I'm curious…how did you get into fencing in the first place? Again, no offense, but it seems kind of random. Most kids get into stuff like soccer or softball. Gymnastics, even."

The ex-detective shrugged. " _Zorro_ was pretty much a staple in our house when I was growing up. Then when I was in middle school, I found this show featuring a kick-ass swordswoman who made Zorro look like an amateur. The show only lasted one season, sadly, but it was inspiring enough for me to talk my parents into letting me take lessons. Thankfully, Tia Angelina was happy to take over paying for them after Papa threw me out. She couldn't convince the instructor to let me compete, though, and I was kind of stuck with the bitch since Blue Springs wasn't exactly flush with fencing academies. So, since I couldn't compete any more, I spent half my free time in high school LARPing."

"You mean, the thing where you dress up like fantasy characters and run around the woods whacking at each other with foam rubber weapons?"

Maggie laughed. "It's a bit more complicated than that, but yeah. One of the few activities in Blue Springs that an outcast like me could enjoy without feeling like I was being judged. Met some of my best friends that way, actually. Anyway…point is, I know my way around swords. Maybe not as well as someone like Ben, but since he's made it clear that he has no intention of pitching in or sending any of his friends to take over as your teacher, I can help you hone your skills."

"Alright," Alex nodded. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

The ex-detective shrugged. "Didn't want to overstep. I know you guys have rules and all. But under the circumstances, if you're okay with it I really would like to lend a hand."

"One condition: you wear that impenetrable body suit. Don't want to risk hurting you by accident."

"You sure it won't be too distracting?"

The immortal blushed. "I…uh…need to learn to ignore distractions, don't I?"

"Of course," her girlfriend chuckled, patting her cheek before giving her a quick kiss. "We should probably get to those phone calls…make sure we can get this place fixed up for our incoming guests. Though we'll need something temporary for tonight, since I doubt I'll be able to get anyone out here until tomorrow."

"I'll have Vasquez dig some air mattresses out of the DEO's storage. So…is that lead-lined room you mentioned big enough to practice in? I don't want Kara seeing me if she wakes up."

Maggie nodded. "We'll have to move my bike out of the way, but it'll do for now. I can have my guys expand it when they come out here."

"And you're sure they can be trusted with this?"

Another nod. "Most of them are immigrants of the extraterrestrial variety. And the rest are sympathizers. Lord won't get anything from them."

"Okay. I trust your judgment. But I'm checking them for 'technosites' when they get here, just to be sure. Just because they act normal doesn't mean they haven't been infected."

"Fair enough," Maggie shrugged. "See you in a bit." She kissed Alex one last time before heading down to the lower level to make her calls. The immortal then pulled out her own phone and dialed the secure line Vasquez had set up. Alex kept the conversation brief, but got the junior agent to agree to come by the warehouse in a few hours with her computer (so she could run point on Operation 'Scare the Shit out of Max Lord' from there, since the elder Danvers wanted someone present in case Kara woke up), as well as the requested air mattresses and Alex's motorcycle and special helmet. Vasquez also agreed to go through the lower level and clear out anything that might point to immortals before their guests arrived and/or her sister awoke. That done, Alex headed for the room where she remembered Maggie parking the bike earlier. She could hear her girlfriend arguing with someone in Spanish as she passed, but figured that if it was anything she needed to know, Maggie would tell her later. Her sword was still in the bike's mount, since she hadn't bothered to retrieve it for the quick trip to pick up Kara, so she pulled it out and moved the motorcycle outside to give herself some space. After a few test swings to make sure she had room, Alex closed her eyes and started working through her sword drills while waiting for Maggie to finish whatever she was up to. Though she wasn't anywhere near perfect just yet – a fact that irritated her perfectionist tendencies to no end – the movements were definitely starting to feel much more natural than they had when Jo first taught them to her. It was still a bit strange doing them without her watching, and the idea of sparring with her girlfriend was even stranger, but at the same time the fact that said girlfriend is mortal made it feel less like she was replacing Jo than if, say, Ben had actually been reasonable and agreed to step in. As she finished the set, Alex heard clapping and opened her eyes to see Maggie standing in the doorway, wearing the bits of her Guardian armor that covered her chest and arms and with the helmet tucked under her armpit. "Looking good, Danvers."

"Really?"

Maggie nodded. "You could use a little more control over where your blade is going when you swing, but other than that your technique is pretty solid for a novice."

"What do you mean?" Alex frowned.

"I think your grip is a little off, because the tip of the sword isn't going exactly where I'm sure you intend it to. It should point where your hand does. Here," she said, setting her helmet aside and moving next to Alex. She took hold of her girlfriend's sword hand and gently helped her shift her grip to where it should be. Once it was adjusted, Maggie guided her through a couple of practice swings. "Feel how much more control you have?"

Alex nodded, definitely able to detect a difference. The ex-detective kissed her on the cheek and backed away several paces, giving her room to test out a few moves now that she was holding the blade correctly. "Thanks," she nodded again, lowering the sword and turning to face her girlfriend. "So what's with the armor?"

"Habit," Maggie shrugged, moving to a cabinet in the back corner of the room and opening it to reveal a small collection of swords that Alex presumed had belonged to Jo. The new vigilante pulled out what looked like a military sabre – similar to the one Jo had carried the night they'd met, but not quite the same. She gave it a few experimental swings before returning her attention to Alex. "I was taught never to spar without protection. That goes for both the formal stuff and the LARPing. At least this armor is a lot less cumbersome than what I cobbled together for my fantasy character. And if I told you _that_ story, I'd have to kill you…which I now realize isn't exactly a decent threat in your case…."

The immortal laughed. "Not really, no. But don't worry…I won't drag it out of you. Yet. I've got all the time I need to solve the mystery of your dark past as a fantasy nerd."

" _Nerd_? Them's fightin' words, Danvers."

"Bring it on, Sawyer." Alex raised her blade as Maggie put her helmet on and did the same. The ex-detective went right on the attack, forcing her girlfriend into a corner as the latter did her best to parry. Maggie may not have had Jo's experience, but her skills were certainly impressive. One attack slipped through, opening a cut on Alex's bicep, and the young immortal realized she couldn't stay on the defensive any more if she had any hope of not getting her ass thoroughly kicked. Ducking the next swing, Alex surged forward and tackled Maggie to the ground. Straddling Maggie's waist, she knocked the ex-detective's blade from her hand and put her own sword to her girlfriend's throat. "Looks like I win."

"Don't get too cocky, Danvers," Maggie shot back with that weirdly deep 'Guardian' voice. Before Alex had a chance to respond, her sword was pushed aside and she felt her nose break as result of her girlfriend's helmet slamming into it full-force. Though she managed to keep hold of her blade, the injury was enough of a distraction for Maggie to get out from under Alex and back to her feet. Vision momentarily blurred from the blow, the immortal just barely managed to block Maggie's next swing. She kicked out, intentionally not making contact in order to avoid actually injuring her mortal girlfriend. But the feint succeeded in forcing Maggie back a few paces and giving her a chance to regroup. Nose now healed, Alex went on the attack, taking several swings at her girlfriend that she blocked with seeming ease. The immortal quickly changed tactics, feinting high before dropping down and swinging for her opponent's stomach. Maggie wasn't able to block that one. Instead she doubled over, hand flying to where the sword had made contact. Swearing, Alex lowered her guard as she moved in to make sure her girlfriend was okay. The bodysuit was supposed to be impenetrable, but that didn't mean something hadn't gone wrong.

Next thing Alex knew, she was flying backwards, courtesy of Maggie's foot in her chest. "Fuck!" she grumbled, feeling several ribs break as she hit the wall. She was pretty sure the former detective's boot had broken her sternum as well. "Dirty pool, Sawyer."

Maggie shrugged, cockily twirling her blade. "You never said there were rules. Gotta be ready for anything, remember?"

"Right," Alex grunted, resting against the wall as she waited for the bones to heal. The process was about 75% finished when Maggie suddenly lunged. Narrowly avoiding being skewered, Alex dropped her blade and grabbed her girlfriend's wrists. She reversed their positions, sending Maggie's sword to join her own as she pinned the ex-detective against the wall. Using her left hand to hold Maggie's wrists above her head, Alex grabbed the Guardian helmet with her right and pulled it free. "I'll accept your surrender now," she grinned, rather enjoying her girlfriend's predicament. She knew Maggie could easily break free using the strength enhancers in the armor – assuming they worked even when only parts of it were being worn – but the way her girlfriend was looking at her seemed to indicate that the pleasure was mutual.

"You sound awfully sure of yourself."

"I don't see you putting up much of a fight."

Grinning, Maggie leaned as close to Alex's ear as she could manage in her current position. "Who says I want to?" she whispered in a way that sent shivers through the immortal's entire body. The ex-detective returned to her original position, and it took Alex several moments to remember how to breathe.

"A-are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Maggie nodded. "And what spoils will the victor be claiming?"

"Depends," the young immortal shot back, suddenly feeling much more confident. "How soundproofed is this room?"

"Let's find out. Shall we?"

"Hell yes." Alex captured Maggie's lips in a searing kiss, then released her girlfriend's wrists in order to help her out of the Guardian armor pieces. The two quickly became lost in each other as they worked on perfecting an entirely different set of skills….

TBC (Feel free to leave a review...let me know how I'm doing. See you Tuesday!)


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

A/N: Thanks for the favorites/follows/reviews so far. And to JQN, (1) chapters 8 and 9 cover Lord's so-called 'Legion,' and (2) I have no plans for any sort of army to oppose Lord, immortal or otherwise. It's not that kind of story. Anyway...on to the next a chapter.

* * *

"Are you sure he's in there?" Alex asked, scanning the upscale apartment complex with her motorcycle helmet's thermal imager. There were people on every floor, including Lord's penthouse suite, but thermal scans were hardly conducive to making positive IDs.

" _ **I hacked into their system. Lord swiped in about an hour ago, and hasn't swiped back out.**_ " Vasquez paused, and Alex heard a heavy sigh on the other end of the coms. " _ **Are you sure you want to do this, Ma'am? The last time you went after him, he killed Jo and shot you with poisoned bullets.**_ "

"And since then, he's had me arrested on bogus charges so he could attack Kara for no fucking reason, and started targeting people and places we like. Not to mention the high probability that he had something to do with Hamilton's disappearance. I have to send him a message somehow…make sure he understands what will happen if he keeps fucking with us like this."

" _ **Alright. But stay on coms. If something goes wrong, I have a plan in place for getting you out.**_ "

Alex frowned. "What kind of plan?"

" _ **Let me worry about that, Ma'am. You need to stay focused on the mission.**_ "

"Right," the young immortal muttered, removing her sword from the bike's mount and sliding it into the hidden pocket of her coat (which Vasquez had patched up for her before she left). Despite the otherwise stringent security measures, Lord's building didn't have metal detectors – probably why he chose it. "So…how's Kara?"

" _ **Still out. Seems your sister can sleep through just about anything. Even your 'training' session,**_ " Vasquez added under her breath, making Alex's face go red (not that anyone could see it at the moment). The junior agent had arrived at the warehouse just as she and Maggie were finishing their…activities. Vasquez didn't see anything, thankfully, but it was still mortifying as hell. " _ **I know it's not really my business, but perhaps you should find a trainer you're not having a relationship with.**_ "

"You're right…it's not your business. And it's not like I have a whole lot of options, anyway. Every immortal I know is either dead, evil, or has absolutely zero interest in helping me out. I'm pretty much on my own."

" _ **Let me make some calls once we're done this. Pretty sure the DEO has a fencing expert or two on the payroll to help with weapons training. And we wouldn't even have to tell them the immortal part. Just that you're looking to learn some new skills.**_ "

"Fine," Alex sighed, knowing Vasquez had something of a point. "So…any idea how many security guys Lord has on his floor?"

" _ **The internal security cameras have two by the elevators, armed with automatic pistols, and one at the stairwell entrance. There are two more at the main door to his suite. However, if you can get past the guy at the stairwell, it looks like there's a side door for housekeeping that isn't guarded. At least, not that I can see. But it's far enough from the elevator and the main suite entrance that you could slip in without any of the guards spotting you.**_ "

"Sounds like a plan." Taking a deep breath to center herself, Alex swapped her helmet for an earpiece, then pulled out her badge and switched it to FBI. "Alright…I'm going in."

" _ **Understood**_."

"Going radio silent now." Alex left the coms active so Vasquez could hear if she got into trouble, but – as previously agreed – there would be no further communication unless absolutely necessary. Badge at the ready, the young immortal made her way across the street and into Lord's building. The security guard waved her right through on seeing her credentials and she headed straight for the elevator, taking it up to the floor just below the one where the Mayor's penthouse suite was located. She then slipped up the stairs, pulling out her baton and holding it across the guard's throat until he fell unconscious. After hiding him in the corner of the stairwell (and cuffing him to the railing for good measure), Alex carefully made her way to the side door that Vasquez had mentioned. She knew Lord was inside because she could feel his presence even from the hallway. Which meant that he could feel her as well. But Alex wasn't about to scrap her plan just because her own biology made it impossible to sneak up on her intended target. Lord more than likely had some sort of trap waiting, and going in was probably suicidal, but she didn't care. Not after everything he'd done to them since starting his stupid registration program. Steeling herself for whatever the so-called Mayor might have in store, Alex crept in through the side door and drew her blade, brushing her thumb across the House of El sigil on the cross-guard to remind herself of why she was taking such a risk. Lord was at his minibar, drink in hand and with his back to her. As he lifted the glass to his mouth, Alex strode across the room and put her blade to his throat. "Give me one good fucking reason not to end your miserable fucking life right fucking now," she growled.

He shrugged, setting the glass back down. "You mean besides the fact that the Quickening would probably bring this whole building down and kill a lot of innocent people?"

Swearing, Alex lowered the blade. Lord smirked, clearly thinking he'd won, only to find himself being slammed against the nearest wall. The younger immortal pinned him in place with her left hand while sticking the tip of her blade beneath his chin. "Fucking coward!" she snarled, pressing her blade into his flesh just hard enough to draw blood. "You shoot my mentor in the fucking back so you can take her head, turn people I care about into your personal fucking zombies, send mercenaries to try and kill my baby sister, make my Watcher disappear, and then tonight you sent your fucking jackboots after Kara's friends. And don't even fucking try to deny it. What the fuck kind of game do you think you're playing here?"

"It's no game, Danvers. Not the one that _really_ matters, anyway. Supergirl doesn't belong in this city. And now that I have the power to do something about it, I am. If I were you, I'd strongly urge her to take her little hero act someplace else."

Alex shook her head. "You're hardly in a position to be making threats right now, Lord. Keep fucking with my family, and I _will_ find a way to end you. Even if it means spending a lifetime or two behind bars for murder."

"Why don't you say that a bit louder?" he smirked. "Not sure my friend heard all of it."

Before the words could even fully register, Alex felt a hand latch onto her shoulder. Seconds later, she was flung across the room, crashing into Lord's very expensive television before ending up face down on the floor. As she landed, her sword flew out of her hand, just beyond her reach. She looked up to find Mon-El standing over her in his 'Valor' costume, looking angrier than she'd ever seen him. The Daxamite wrapped a hand around her throat, lifting her into the air and squeezing. She instinctively latched onto his wrist, trying to loosen his grip, but to no avail. "Mon-El," she rasped. "It's Alex. Alex Danvers. Kara's sister. I'm your friend…sort of. Remember?"

For a brief moment, he looked at her as though the memory was right on the tip of his brain and just wouldn't shake loose. But the moment quickly faded and she was once again faced with Lord's personal alien pet. "You tried to hurt Mr. Lord."

Air was swiftly becoming an issue, and one glance into Mon-El's eyes was enough to tell her that he was beyond reason. Clearly, whatever Lord had infected him with affected Daxamite physiology differently than that of a human and had done something to his memory instead of merely suppressing certain parts of his brain to increase suggestibility. If there was to be any hope of getting her sister's friend back, she had to get him out of there somehow. But first, she had to keep herself alive long enough to come up with a plan. In a desperation move, Alex swung her leg forward, catching Mon-El in a particularly sensitive spot and forcing him to release his grip. She hit the floor again, gasping for breath, and just barely managed to roll out of the way of Mon-El's next attack. The doors to the suite sprung open and guards swarmed in, cuffing Alex's hands behind her before she had a chance to get back to her feet. They forced her to her knees in front of Lord, who casually plucked her sword from the floor and held it to her throat. "You're a fool, Danvers. Walking right into the lion's den with no backup and maybe half a plan? What exactly were you hoping to achieve?"

"You're real fucking tough with me handcuffed and surrounded by your fucking goons," she spat. "Why don't we take this outside…just you and me? Settle this properly?"

Shaking his head, Lord dropped the sword and grabbed a handful of her hair, forcing Alex to meet his eyes. "You don't get it, do you? You're in _my_ world now, Danvers. We play this by _my_ rules. And if you're so eager to stick your nose in my business, maybe it's time to set my plans into motion." He slammed his mouth onto hers, holding her in place despite her attempts to pull away. Then, when Lord was satisfied, he violently shoved Alex aside, pulling out a chunk of her hair in the process. "Take her to the car." At his command, the guards yanked the young immortal to her feet. Alex seized the opportunity, kicking one in the groin and headbutting the other. She dropped into a backwards roll, bringing her hands forward, then grabbed the nearest guard's gun and slammed it into his temple to knock him out. The second guard fired his weapon and Alex twisted around, raising her arms so the bullet went through the handcuff chain instead of her flesh. She knocked him out as well before firing several shots into Lord's chest, then turning the gun on Mon-El and putting a slug in his shoulder. Footsteps sounded in the hallway, so Alex dragged a nearby chair in front of the door to block it. Unfortunately, it wouldn't hold for long.

"If you've got a plan, Sue, you'd better get it going right now." Not waiting for a response, Alex emptied the rest of the magazine into the window pane and charged forward, dropping the gun and snatching up her sword as she tackled an injured Mon-El. Their momentum took them both through the shattered window. Mon-El would be fine except for the lead poisoning, but the last thought that went through her mind as the ground rapidly approached was how much this was going to hurt….

TBC (Sorry this one's a bit on the short side, but that was just too good a place to end it. See you Friday!)


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

A/N: Thanks again for the favorites/follows/reviews so far. Now on to the next chapter!

* * *

Alex surged back to life with a loud gasp. Her upper body hurt like crazy, while the lower half was completely numb – meaning she'd probably shattered her spine on impact. She dared a glance down at herself to find that her limbs were still a bloody, broken mess. It took another moment or two to realize that she was back in her apartment, laying in her own bed.

"Alex?"

She turned her head towards her girlfriend's voice, only to instantly regret it when the movement sent pain shooting down the parts of her spine she could still feel. "Ugh…what hit me?"

"Seriously?" Maggie shot back, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You do a fucking suicide dive out of Max Lord's penthouse window and all you can ask is what hit you?" She sighed. "How are you feeling?"

"Can't feel my legs. Everything else hurts."

Maggie nodded. "A 300-foot fall will do that. Dawson says that catastrophic injuries like yours usually take a little longer to heal. What the fuck were you thinking?"

"You called Dawson?" Alex frowned.

"It's not like I could take you to a fucking hospital. And you didn't answer my question."

The young immortal sighed. "It was the fastest way I could think of to get myself and Mon-El out of there. What are you doing here, anyway? Not that I object to the company…."

"Vasquez called. Winn and I were part of her extraction plan. Luckily, we were in the neighborhood."

"Did he—?"

Maggie shook her head. "I dragged you into the alley and hid you behind a dumpster before he pulled up, then helped him load Mon-El into the van. The Daxamite should be at the DEO by now, all ready for you to start testing once you're back to full health. Once Winn left, I wrapped you up in some old tarp I found and slung you across my bike. It's a good thing your apartment is only a few blocks away from Lord's. Last thing I need is my former colleagues wondering why I'm driving around with a body."

"Right," Alex muttered. "What about the aliens from the bar? Are they safe?"

"Yep. All safe and sound back at the warehouse. No idea if Lord got to any of them already with that parasite thingie, but we can figure that out when we go back there to check on Kara."

"How is she?"

"Your sister is just fine," Maggie assured her. "She's awake and probably wishing she was dead, but she'll survive. Last I checked, Baby Luthor was planning to whip up some sort of hangover cure for her."

"What?" Alex pushed herself up with arms that had mostly healed in the time they'd been talking (though the pain had yet to disappear). Her lower half seemed to be healing as well, but remained completely numb. She twisted her upper body around to face Maggie. "You let _Lena_ into the warehouse? What the fuck?" The immortal tried to get out of bed despite the continued paralysis and her girlfriend quickly intercepted, gently pushing her back down.

"It's fine, Alex. I promise. Lena actually helped me last night. Apparently, she had the same idea I did and showed up at the holding facility with some of her security personnel. Not to mention enough transportation to get everyone back to the warehouse in one trip. I know you don't trust her, but she put herself on the line – risked criminal charges – to help aliens she didn't even know. I'd say she's more than proven herself."

Alex sighed, unable to argue the point. "So what's the fallout? Are we topping the Most Wanted list yet?"

"Well, Guardian made the news over the breakout, but I haven't seen anything about what happened at Lord's penthouse."

"Which means that either Lord revived from my shooting him before his men made it back inside or they're all in on his secret." She shook her head, then frowned. "Wait…why are _you_ on the news and not Luthor?"

"Because I kept the guards busy while she and her men got everyone out. News just listed them as 'unknown accomplices.' It's fine," Maggie added before her girlfriend could argue. "The way things have been going, I wasn't expecting Guardian to be a universally beloved hero or anything. I'm just glad I could keep innocent aliens from falling prey to whatever Lord has planned."

"Of course," the immortal nodded. "That's what's important, right? Keeping everyone safe?" As she spoke, Alex could finally feel something in her lower half. Just tingles, but a glance down told her that her legs had just about mended themselves. It was just a matter of time. "So…not to change the subject too much, but where's my sword?"

"In the kitchen. It's a little banged up from the fall, but nothing that can't be fixed. Hell, I'm surprised it's in as good shape as it is, considering…." Maggie shook her head. "You've got to stop doing this shit to me, Danvers," she scolded. "I know you can't permanently die unless your head comes off, but even seeing you temporarily dead freaks me the fuck out. Especially this time. I've seen bombing victims that were less of a mess. Just because you bounce back, doesn't mean you can go all daredevil all the fucking time. And what if I hadn't gotten there first? You'd have been declared dead, officially, and that would mean having to leave this life behind. Leave Kara behind. Things are bad enough for her right now without you putting her through that kind of hell."

"You think I don't know that?" Alex huffed. "Hurting Kara is the last thing I'd ever want to do. But you would've told her the truth, right?"

"Of course I would have. Not that it would make the news of your supposed death any less fucking traumatic." Shaking her head, Maggie climbed into the bed next to Alex, brushing her fingers along her girlfriend's cheek. "Just promise me you'll be more careful from now on," she whispered. "I can't lose you."

Smiling, the young immortal reached out and ran a no-longer-aching hand through Maggie's hair. "You won't," she assured the former detective. "But I'll try to take fewer chances. And I _can_ promise not to dive out of any more high-rises. That shit hurts way too fucking much." The comment prompted a slight laugh from Maggie, who seized the opportunity to snuggle in closer, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend.

"I guess I'll take what I can get," she shrugged. "Your legs are looking much better."

Alex nodded. "Starting to get feeling back, too. Which is good, because I'd really like to go check on Kara."

"And we will, once you're fully healed. Unless, of course, you're ready to tell her the truth. In which case, I'll gladly shove your ass in a wheelchair and take you over there right now."

"You know I can't do that."

Maggie shook her head. "You can. You just won't. And I get why. But if you're going to pull stunts like this, keeping her in the dark is a bad idea."

"I said I'd be more careful from now on."

"Which is what you promised me after Lord shot you. Look what happened."

"Tonight was an emergency, Mags. I didn't have much of a choice."

"I know," the ex-detective sighed. "But you're the one who put yourself in that situation. I tried to warn you. Maybe next time you'll listen." Maggie would've said more, but Alex's phone started to go off and she reluctantly left the bed to retrieve it. "It's Lane," she informed her girlfriend after checking the caller ID. "Should I get rid of her?"

"It's fine," Alex shrugged, holding out her hand. Maggie passed the phone over and she picked up the call. "Danvers."

" _ **Where the hell have you been?**_ "

"Some stuff came up that I had to deal with. Why?"

" _ **Because Dad's here and he's got his men crawling all over the base.**_ "

"What the fuck is that about?"

There was a heavy sigh at the other end of the line. " _ **Apparently, Lord called him to complain about DEO assets running amok last night. Something about a person wearing fancy armor breaking some aliens out of holding, and someone else busting into his home and kidnapping a member of his Legion. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?**_ "

"It's probably better for you from a legal standpoint if I don't answer that one."

" _ **Right…**_ " Another sigh. " _ **Just so you know**_ ," Lucy added, lowering her voice. " _ **We got the bullet out of Mon-El's shoulder and sent him to our Nevada base along with Winn and all the research you've conducted on that parasite. J'onn will make sure they're both safe, and his scientists will work on finding a cure.**_ "

Alex frowned. "You sent them away without even consulting me?"

" _ **I didn't have a choice. If I'd kept them here, Winn would probably be on his way to prison and Mon-El right back in Lord's clutches. Thankfully, the President authorized us to insulate the Nevada base from the rest of the DEO systems, as well as the military, since she suspects there are anti-alien factions within her own government that could compromise the people there. As for us, Dad's talking about closing this base and reassigning everyone. Wants to take me back to Washington with him.**_ "

"Fuck," the immortal grumbled, meeting Maggie's eyes. "So what happens now?"

" _ **Officially, I have to fire Agent Vasquez and ask for your immediate resignation.**_ "

"Right. And unofficially?"

" _ **You two are on leave until Lord and his registration program have been dealt with. I'll find some way to keep paying you off the books in the meantime. Just keep Kara and the others safe.**_ "

"That's the plan. What about my research?"

" _ **I sent copies of everything to Vasquez on a secured server at the same time I sent the information to J'onn's base. If you want to continue working on the issue, go ahead. I'm sure Vasquez can figure out some way for you to communicate your findings to J'onn's scientists without raising any red flags.**_ " There was a pause, and Alex thought she heard someone bellowing. " _ **I have to go. Dad sounds pissed. You guys take care of yourselves, okay?**_ "

"You too, Luce." The line went dead, and Alex tossed the phone onto her nightstand. She sat up a bit straighter, testing the responses in her lower limbs. Her toes twitched a bit, but that was all she could manage for the moment.

"Everything okay?"

Alex shook her head. "Maxwell fucking Lord has struck again. He called Lucy's dad – who happens to be a fucking 4-star General – and told him some version of what we did last night. So now the General is shutting down the DEO base in National City and reassigning everyone. And Sue and I are officially unemployed. Unofficially, Lucy is putting us on leave, and she says she'll find a way to keep paying us, but I'm not holding my breath. Probably have to start dipping into my savings soon. Luckily, between what I've been putting away from my paychecks and what's left of Dad's life insurance payout, it'll be at least a year before we're in serious trouble. Still, it leaves me with no job and no resources for things like research."

"Fuck," Maggie muttered, joining her girlfriend in the bed once more. "Can they do that?"

"General Lane has quite a bit of pull with the President. This isn't the first time he's tried to fuck with our organization. Just the first time he's actually been able to get his way and shut us down."

"So that's it, then? No more DEO?"

"The other bases are still operational…for now. And Lucy sent Winn and Mon-El to the one J'onn's at before her dad got wind of their presence and decided to do something worse. But the National City base is apparently done for."

"Well that sucks." The ex-detective shook her head, rolling onto her side and propping herself up on her arm. "So now what are you going to do all day?"

Alex shrugged. "I still have to finish my research into that damned 'technosite,' assuming I can find some way to get what I need to continue it without the DEO. And we've got a bunch of extraterrestrial houseguests at the warehouse to protect."

"Vive la résistance," Maggie grinned. "Is it weird that I'm suddenly in the mood to wave around a giant flag and sing the anthem from _Les Mis_?"

"Nerd."

"That's _my_ line."

"If the shoe fits…." Maggie responded by smacking her girlfriend in the face with a pillow. "Oh…it's on now, Sawyer." Alex grabbed her own pillow and returned the favor.

"That all you got, Danvers?" The ex-detective swung again, and Alex barely managed to dodge. Apparently, having semi-functioning legs left her at something of a disadvantage. On the next swing, she snatched the pillow away and – using just her upper body – shifted their positions so that she was on top of Maggie, hands pinning her girlfriend's wrists to the bed.

"You were saying?"

Maggie smirked, and before Alex could react she found herself on the bottom, her girlfriend straddling her waist. "Nice try, Danvers, but I'm pretty sure it's my turn to take the lead."

"Yes, Ma'am," Alex grinned. Maggie leaned down to capture her lips in a passionate kiss, and it wasn't long before the ex-detective-turned-vigilante managed to drive all coherent thoughts from the young immortal's mind….

A few hours later, Maggie and a fully-healed Alex pulled up to the warehouse in the latter's car. "Think we got enough?" the ex-detective asked, glancing at the stacks of pizza boxes in the backseat as her girlfriend cut the engine.

"I hope so. Kara has always had a pretty healthy appetite—"

Maggie snorted. "Understatement of the year."

"But," Alex continued, as if her girlfriend hadn't interrupted, "I have no fucking clue how much any of the others eat. J'onn's never been one to stuff his face – at least, not that I've seen – but I don't know if that's a Martian thing or a J'onn thing. And I'm not entirely sure what other species we're dealing with."

"I could give you the full breakdown, but the pizzas would get cold. Suffice it to say, most extraterrestrials I've encountered tend to be big eaters."

"Right," the immortal nodded. "Let's just hope these will hold everyone until we can figure out our next move." With that, the pair got out of the car, each taking a stack of boxes from the backseat. Walking through the door to the main level, Alex was suddenly hit with a flash of bright light. "What the fuck…?"

"Sorry," a slightly accented voice said. Alex peered over her stack to see Lena approach, wearing jeans and an MIT sweatshirt instead of her usual designer dresses. "I should've warned you. Ms. Sawyer showed me the device you came up with to detect those…what do call them?"

"Lord calls them 'technosites," Maggie supplied.

Lena nodded. "Right. Anyway…I did some tinkering while waiting for Kara to wake up and modified the device so that it could take readings via a sensor in the doorway. The flash of light is there to momentarily disorient the subject in case the reading comes back positive, so that whoever is here will have the opportunity to deal with it. What better way to make sure no one in here is infected?"

"I'm impressed," Alex smiled, actually meaning it. Perhaps Little Luthor had her uses after all. "So everyone here is clean?"

"So far. Do you want to check over my work?"

"Maybe later. I'm sure our guests are probably starving by now."

"Of course." As she spoke, Lena moved into the center of the room and cleared off a table Alex didn't recognize. "I may have had a few things brought in to try and make everyone more comfortable," she explained. Glancing around, the immortal realized that Jo's gym equipment had been shoved to one side and the space was now taken up with more domestic-type things like a dining area, a couple of couches, a few recliners, and a fully-loaded entertainment center. Alex and Maggie set their stacks of boxes on the table, at which point some of the 'guests' moved in to claim their shares. M'gann was there, along with Darla (Maggie's ex) and several of the bar's regulars whose species' the immortal wasn't entirely certain of. Wrapping a somewhat possessive arm around her girlfriend, Alex glared at Darla briefly, then gestured for Lena to join them and moved the conversation to somewhere a bit more private.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, Lena, but you really should've asked. This is still my place."

"Are you saying I should have everything sent back?"

Alex sighed, shaking her head. "It's fine. Just check with me before you do any more interior decorating." A sound from outside caught her attention, and she glanced at the youngest Luthor in hopes of getting an explanation.

"I believe those are the workers Ms. Sawyer hired."

"Sounds like it," Maggie confirmed. "But why aren't they in here?"

Lena walked away briefly, returning with a tablet in hand. "I did some digging and found out that the previous owner actually owned a good bit of the land around this building in addition to the building itself. So your contractors figured it would be easier to expand outward instead of trying to reconfigure the inside of this building." As she spoke, Lena showed them both the deed she'd found, laying out the exact size of the parcel the immortal had inherited, along with the plans the CEO had drawn up for the expansion.

Alex frowned. "Isn't that kind of obvious?"

"Officially, I filed paperwork last night to have this place designated as belonging to a small, virtually unknown subsidiary of L Corp. If anyone looks at the documentation, they'll find plans for a research lab utilizing the additional space that the contractors are currently working on. Your names are nowhere near it."

"Thanks…I think." She glanced over at the 'secret' room Maggie had set up. "What about…?"

Lena shook her head. "I'm not one to encroach on another's privacy. Figured it would be best for you and Ms. Sawyer to discuss that area with the contractors if there's anything you want done. And no, Kara hasn't seen whatever is in there, either. Though if that's a serious concern, I do have a few security options my company has developed that you may want to consider. Not that I'd ever want to keep anything from Kara. Her cousin, on the other hand…."

"We'll talk," Alex nodded, thinking that extra security might be a good idea – as long as it wasn't anything that would actually harm her sister, of course. "Speaking of Kara…where is she?"

"In the kitchen up in the loft, last I saw. The other agent is currently asleep on one of the couches up there. Think she was up most of the night keeping an eye on your sister."

"Probably," the immortal shrugged. "You don't have to hang around here, you know. I'm sure you have better things to do over at L Corp."

Lena smiled. "My COO is handling things today. She has my number in case of emergencies. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather stay here and help. I think I might have a way to get your 'guests' out to a ship without anyone seeing, and I know I can procure such a ship as well. The Luthor family has a number of assets at sea that I could easily turn to this cause."

"And you'd do that for us?"

"Don't sound so surprised, Director Danvers. Kara…she's the first person – hell, the only person – to actually see _me_ and not just the Luthor name. She means more to me than I could ever hope to express, and I would do _anything_ to keep her safe from the Maxwell Lords of the world. And that extends to those she cares about." The youngest Luthor sighed. "I know you don't trust me yet, but I sincerely hope to change that soon."

"We'll see," Alex sighed. "And you can just call me Alex. After last night, the DEO is pulling out of National City. We're on our own." Shaking her head, the immortal glanced over at her girlfriend. "I'm going to go check on Kara. Would you—?"

"Check in with the contractors and keep an eye on things down here so our guests don't start running wild?"

"Yeah…that."

Maggie smiled, pulling Alex in for a quick kiss. "Done. Tell Kara I hope she feels better soon."

"Will do." They kissed one more time, after which the immortal made her way up to the loft, shrugging off her coat and laying it across the unoccupied couch as she passed. Kara was sitting on a stool at the kitchen island, glasses tossed haphazardly on the counter and head down on her arms. There was an empty glass nearby with a reddish residue on the inside, but from the looks of things, that concoction – whatever it was – hadn't worked. Moving slowly so as not to startle the still-hungover Kryptonian, Alex quietly dug around the kitchen cabinets, eventually locating a large bottle of aspirin at the back of the one where Jo had kept the top-shelf alcohol. Quickly calculating how much Kara would need, the immortal removed the appropriate number of pills, then filled a clean glass with water and moved to the unoccupied stool, setting the glass and pills within her sister's reach. "Hey," she whispered, gently rubbing circles between Kara's shoulder blades like she used to do when they were kids and the younger Danvers needed to be woken up from a nightmare. After a moment, Kara slowly lifted her head to look at her big sister, and it was obvious she was still feeling the effects of the previous day's excursion.

"Where have you been, Lexie? I woke up and you were gone."

"It's complicated," Alex sighed, pushing the pills and water a bit closer to Kara. "Take those…you'll feel better."

Kara looked at her a bit skeptically, but still tossed the pills into her mouth and downed almost the entire glass of water. "Ugh," she grumbled, setting the glass back down. "How do humans do this to themselves night after night? If I ever even mention drinking again, you have my permission to toss me in a holding cell until I come to my senses."

Stifling a laugh, Alex reached out and brushed her sister's hair away from her face. "I can't speak for everyone, but when I drink I'm usually more focused on how it makes me feel in the moment than how I'll feel the next day. And believe me, I've had my share of monster hangovers to deal with. I know exactly how you're feeling right now."

"And you still think drinking is fun?"

The elder Danvers shrugged, not really sure how to answer that now that alcohol no longer affected her the same way. She glanced over her sister's current attire, which consisted of worn sweatpants and a Gotham University t-shirt that had definitely seen better days. "Lena didn't bring over all of your clothes?"

"She did," Kara shrugged. "I just wasn't in the mood for cardigans today. It's not like I have a reason to go out in public right now, anyway. Stupid Mayor Lord…."

Alex scooted her stool a bit closer and pulled Kara into a hug. She hated seeing her bright and sunny sister so defeated. It was enough to make her wish she'd gone through with taking Lord's head off the previous evening, consequences be damned. "We'll figure this out, kiddo," she murmured, kissing the top of Kara's head. "I promise."

The younger Danvers frowned. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"When have I ever done that?" Alex challenged.

"Come on…this is Lord we're talking about. He's got all the power right now, and there's nothing we can do to change that. I should've finished him last year when I had the chance," she grumbled, putting her head back down.

Alex sighed, giving her sister's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You don't mean that."

"Don't I?"

"You're not a killer, Kar. You said it yourself: it's not your place to decide whether he lives or dies, no matter how much of an ass he is."

"Still," Kara muttered, lifting her head to look at her sister once more. "If I'd dealt with him last year, we wouldn't be going through this hell right now. He's taken just about everything he can from me. James…Mon-El…my job…my loft. You, Lena, Maggie, and Winn are pretty much all I have left. I can't even risk going out as Supergirl right now because he's got the police picking up unregistered aliens like me, armed with anti-alien weapons his company has developed. Exactly how do you propose to fix all of that?"

"I don't know," the elder Danvers admitted. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying. Heroes keep fighting no matter what. Remember?" Nodding, Kara slid from the stool and moved to lean on the railing overlooking the main floor. Alex joined her a moment later, following her sister's gaze to where Lena sat. The youngest Luthor was idly munching on a slice of pizza as she worked on something on her tablet. Maggie wasn't down there, but Alex picked up occasional snatches of familiar Spanish coming from outside, so she wasn't worried. She turned to look at Kara. "I know things seem pretty bleak right now, but we'll get through it. We always do."

"Since when are you such an optimist?"

"I learned from the best," Alex smiled, gently bumping her shoulder into Kara's. "And if it helps, I can assure you that Winn and Mon-El are both safe."

Kara seemed to perk up a bit at that. "Really? How? And since when was Winn in danger?"

"I may have rescued Mon-El from Lord last night, and Winn got him back to the DEO. Our Daxamite friend is okay, physically, but that 'technosite' thing seems to have fucked with his memories."

"You went after Lord last night?" the younger Danvers almost yelled. "Alex! You could've been killed!"

"But I wasn't. I'm fine. It was close, but I got away and brought Mon-El with me. One less person for Lord to fuck with. Okay?"

Kara drew in a deep breath to calm herself. "Can I see him?"

Alex shook her head, squeezing her sister's arm. "That won't be possible, I'm afraid. Lucy sent both Mon-El and Winn to the facility J'onn is currently running, along with copies of my research. J'onn's scientists will be working around the clock to find a cure, and I'll be continuing my own research from home."

"I don't understand. What about the DEO?"

"Don't freak out."

Kara frowned. "Saying 'don't freak out' makes me think that there's something to freak out about. What happened?"

"Between what I did at Lord's last night and our new vigilante friend – and Lena – breaking our friends from the bar out of holding, the government isn't too happy with our branch of the DEO. Lucy's dad showed up this morning and pretty much shut us down. If Lucy hadn't sent Winn and Mon-El away, I can't even imagine what would've happened to them. I don't have all the details, but what I do know is that – officially – Vasquez and I are no longer employed. Unofficially, we're both on leave, but it doesn't change the fact that we're out for the moment. And everyone else is being reassigned." As she spoke, she saw Kara's frown deepen and the metal on the railing start to warp within the Kryptonian's grip. "Whoa…easy on the fixtures," she hissed, gently pulling Kara's hands away.

"Sorry," Kara grumbled. "Just when I thought Lord couldn't sink any lower…."

Alex sighed, pulling her sister into another hug. "Don't worry about me, Sis. At least now I can focus my attention on thwarting the ARA."

"What about me? I've got no job…no home…." The younger Danvers shook her head, shifting position to lean on a part of the railing she hadn't bent up. "Lena offered to let me move in with her, but I don't want to put her in Lord's crosshairs any more than she already is. Plus, I wouldn't feel right letting her pay my way when I'm perfectly capable of making my own living."

"I thought Kryptonians believed that accepting help was honorable."

Kara nodded. "True. But accepting help doesn't mean letting one person do all the work and take all the risks on your behalf. I have to be able to do at least some things on my own. I'm just not sure _how_ with the Mayor scuttling all of my options."

"Well, you're perfectly welcome to live here. In fact, I insist on it."

"I don't know, Lexie. It's not like I could pay you rent or anything."

Alex waved her off. "Don't worry about that. But if you want to do something to earn your keep, you can help with them," she added, gesturing to the aliens gathered below. "Supergirl might not be completely welcome in National City anymore, but _they_ still need you. Maggie, Lena and I are working on a way to get them out of Lord's jurisdiction. In the meantime, you can help us keep them safe."

"I can do that. But it's gonna get kind of crowded in here if we're taking in all these unregistered aliens."

"That's why Maggie brought in some contractors she knows. The downstairs area is being set up for our guests, while the loft will be all yours."

"What about her?" Kara asked, glancing over at a still-sleeping Vasquez.

"We'll figure something out."

The younger Danvers nodded, turning back to the gathering below. "How did you end up with this place, anyway?"

Alex fell silent for several moments before finally deciding on a version of the truth her sister probably wouldn't question. "Jo's lawyer showed up yesterday with the keys. Apparently, she'd left instructions that if she didn't check in for a certain period of time, he was to turn everything over to me."

"But she hadn't even known you that long."

"I know. But I don't think she really had any family left. Guess I was the next best thing. Or maybe she somehow foresaw how far Lord would take things and wanted to make sure we had resources for fighting back."

"Maybe," Kara shrugged. "So…why is there a room lined with lead?"

"So Maggie and I can have some privacy when we're here." Alex gave her sister a look, and it took only moments for the younger Danvers to reach the intended conclusion.

"Ew! I _soooo_ didn't need that mental image." Shaking her head, Kara retrieved her glasses from the counter and slipped them back on as she headed for the stairs. "I'm going to go grab some pizza before everyone eats it all. Coming?"

"In a minute," the elder Danvers nodded, watching as her sister joined her fellow aliens on the lower level. Kara grabbed what was left of one of the pizza boxes and sat down next to Lena, giving the dark-haired woman a quick kiss on the cheek before starting on her food. Alex still wasn't 100% sure what – if anything – was going on between the two, but at this point she wasn't about to begrudge her baby sister whatever happiness she could find for herself in all this darkness. She just hoped that associating with the apparent black sheep of the Luthor clan wouldn't blow up in their faces.

TBC (See you Tuesday!)


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

A/N: Thanks once again for the favorites/follows/reviews so far. Awesome episode this week (especially the Sanvers moments)! Anyway...only one more chapter and an epilogue to go for part one. Enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

Alex stomped her feet and blew into her hands in an attempt to keep warm as she stared in dismay at the snow covering the ships in port. The last time it had snowed in National City was the year she'd started at Stanford, and even then it was barely more than a dusting. Now, it was bad enough to make the water in the harbor start to ice over, rendering it impossible for ships to get in and out. With Lena's help, they'd been able to evacuate a good number of unregistered aliens into friendlier cities over the past several weeks by bringing them to other ports (like San Francisco) along the California coast and giving them the means to go elsewhere from there if they chose. But now it looked like they'd have to use the warehouse as more of a sanctuary than a temporary rest stop – at least until the storm blew over. Which meant coming up with an excuse to keep her mother from coming to town for the holidays. Though having an astrobiologist of Eliza's caliber would certainly be helpful in dealing with the aliens under their care – not to mention figuring out that parasite, which Alex barely had time for these days with everything else that was going on – the last thing the immortal wanted was for her mother to get sucked into whatever game Lord was playing. That, and she still hadn't figured out how to break the news about her relationship with Maggie. Coming out to her mother was something she'd been steadfastly avoiding for about a decade, and actually being in her first stable relationship wasn't making the prospect any more appealing. They'd been able to avoid Thanksgiving because Kara was still recovering from being shot and comatose, but Christmas was another matter. Even during her blackout drinking phase her mother had never let her slide on that one.

Something landed nearby, and Alex turned to see a familiar red and blue figure approach. She wasn't sure whether it was a newly developed paranoia or simply a desire to feel useful, but Kara had taken to patrolling the harbor area at least once a day in order to make sure their little safe haven hadn't been compromised by Lord and his goons. The younger Danvers gave a contented sigh, looking around like she was a kid again. "It's so pretty out…."

"Says the one of us who isn't affected by the cold," Alex grumbled. She had on thermal underwear, heavy jeans, a long-sleeved t-shirt, her Stanford hoodie, and her coat, and she was still freezing. "And it would be a lot prettier if it wasn't fucking over our operation."

Kara pouted. "Party pooper."

"Tell that to whoever's fucking with the weather patterns. I moved to National City because it's supposed to be sunny and warm pretty much year-round. If I wanted snow I'd have stayed in Midvale."

"No one's messing with the weather. Trust me…I had Sue and Lena look into it. I think we can chalk this one up to good old climate change."

"Right…" Alex sighed, shoving her hands into her coat pockets.

"Speaking of Midvale…have you talked to Eliza yet?"

"Not yet."

"Alex!"

"What?" the elder Danvers shot back. "You're not the one who has to break Mom's heart. Excuse me if I need a bit of time to figure out how."

"We could just go to her for Christmas instead of flying her out here if you're worried about Lord."

Alex shook her head. "One, we need to be here for the aliens who are going to be stuck in the warehouse until the harbor unfreezes. Two, I haven't told Mom about Maggie yet and I'm sure as fuck not spending the holidays without my girlfriend, nor am I going to just spring her on Mom without any warning. And three, if you leave National City there's a pretty good chance you won't be able to come back."

"You may have a point on that last one," Kara conceded. A moment later, Alex caught the familiar expression she'd come to associate with her sister's super-hearing. The younger Danvers took off, and Alex followed after her, ending up back at the warehouse. Walking inside, she saw Lena on the phone, clearly upset. Kara was nearby, but seemed to be giving the youngest Luthor some space for the moment.

"No, I'm not going to renounce my pro-alien stance," Lena growled to whoever was on the other end. "Why? Because what Maxwell Lord is doing is wrong." There was a pause, and it was clear that the CEO was nearing her breaking point. "I don't give a damn what Lex thinks." Another pause, and the immortal was certain that if Lena had possessed Kara's strength the phone would be toast. "Family?" she spat. "The bastard put a hit out on me! If it wasn't for Supergirl, I'd be dead." Lena frowned. "Of course you take his side. I don't know why I expected anything different." There was a slightly longer pause, and it seemed like it was taking every ounce of Lena's willpower not to throw the phone at the wall. "Well, then it's a good thing you have no stake in L Corp. The company is doing just fine without Lex's blood money." Lena's jaw tightened as the other person apparently responded. Glancing over at Kara, Alex could tell that her sister was this close to flying to wherever the call was coming from and putting the fear of God into whoever was on the other end of the line. "Good luck carrying out that threat. Even if your goons got past my security, I have several powerful alien friends looking out for me." Another pause. "Yes, of course that includes Supergirl." Lena rolled her eyes at the other person's response. "Lex brought that on himself. You can't honestly expect Superman to ignore things like mass murder." The CEO scowled. "If you and your xenophobic friends come anywhere near Supergirl, I will personally make sure you all end up in Federal prison where you belong. Maybe you and Lex can have adjoining cells." Lena angrily ended the call, tossing the phone onto the table with a bit more force than was strictly necessary. In seconds, Kara was by the youngest Luthor's side, pulling her into a hug. It took a few moments before Lena finally relaxed into the embrace.

"Everything okay?" Alex ventured.

Lena opened her mouth to respond, but Kara beat her to it. "That was Lena's mother. As you can see, they don't exactly have the best relationship."

"Clearly. But you did that press conference months ago. Why the fuck is she just calling you about it now?"

"I believe we might have a leak somewhere in the crew of the ship we've been using to evacuate our extraterrestrial friends from the city. Mother found out that I was actively working to protect aliens and decided I'm not worthy of the Luthor name."

"Well, your mother can go fuck herself," Alex declared, moving in a bit closer to Lena and Kara. "You are twice the person either she or Lex could ever hope to be. And if you tell anyone I said that, I'll have kill you."

Lena nodded, managing a small smile. "Duly noted. Now we just have to figure out who's been feeding her information. Which means we'll have to suspend our operation for the time being."

"Well, with the harbor icing over, that won't be an issue."

"I could—"

"No!" both Lena and Alex said, cutting Kara off and making the hero pout.

"Why not?"

The CEO sighed. "I know you mean well, Kara, but using your heat vision on the water could potentially damage the habitat of whatever creatures are living in it. And Supergirl boiling a bunch of fish alive wouldn't exactly endear you to those who are starting to question whether or not you're really a hero since you've had to make yourself scarce to avoid arrest."

"My point exactly," Alex nodded, only slightly annoyed that Lena had beat her to it.

"I wouldn't…." Kara started, quickly backing down when both her sister and her friend glared. "Fine. So…any ideas on finding our mole?"

Before either of them could respond, Vasquez came running out of her room on the lower level. "Ma'am…Ma'ams…there's something you have to see."

"Sue, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me Ma'am?"

"Sorry," the analyst mumbled, moving to the common area and turning on the TV. Another creepy Cadmus video was playing, ranting about how aliens were using the humans' natural instinct to protect the innocent against them in order to infiltrate their very homes. As the disguised voice spoke, images flashed on the screen of a building that Alex immediately recognized as an orphanage Maggie had told her about – the only one in the city that took in alien children.

"Where's Guardian?" the immortal asked, looking to her friend. Since they'd started their little operation, Maggie had been doing regular patrols of the city to try and thwart further persecution of unregistered aliens by her former colleagues.

Vasquez pulled her earpiece out and handed it over. "On the line now, M….Alex."

"Thanks." Alex put the earpiece in and activated the mic. "What's going on out there?"

" _ **Henshaw 2.0**_ ," Guardian replied in that strange, deep voice.

"What the fuck….?" Kara and Lena both looked at her in confusion, but she waved them off and moved to a quiet corner. "I thought Lord's goon squad took him out."

" _ **So did I, but the fucker is back. Bigger and stronger, too. He's already smacked down what's left of the so-called Legion. Didn't even break a sweat.**_ "

"What about you? Are you okay?"

" _ **I'm keeping my distance…using those energy weapons Winn hooked me up with to try and draw him away from the kids. But I'm going to need backup pretty fucking soon.**_ "

Alex nodded, turning back to her sister. Much as she hated the thought of Supergirl showing herself in the city at the moment, she couldn't see any other options for stopping the new-and-improved Robo-Henshaw. "Get to the orphanage on 10th and Hope. Henshaw—"

"I heard. Tell Maggie to sit tight."

"Wait…what...?" the elder Danvers sputtered, only to find Kara already gone. Lena chuckled.

"Come now, Alex. Did you really think she wouldn't put it together after working with Guardian to protect our 'guests' for the past few weeks? She may be a bit naïve at times, but she's far from stupid."

"Right….Supergirl's on her way, Mags. And she knows."

" _ **Good. I hate keeping secrets from…shit! Gotta go!**_ " The line went dead.

"Mags?" No response. "Fuck!" She turned to Vasquez and Lena. "Any ideas on how to stop a homicidal robot?" The CEO immediately disappeared into the small lab she'd had built there (which she'd been using to help Alex research the 'technosite'), returning a few moments later with what looked like a small grenade and practically shoving it into Alex's hands.

"That's a modified EMP," she explained. "I designed it to work on pretty much every known power source, conventional or otherwise. It has a fairly short range, since we don't want to black out the whole city trying to take this thing down, but if you can throw it close enough it should do the job. Assuming, of course, that whoever built it was using a power source I accounted for."

"And if they weren't?"

Lena gave an apologetic shrug, while Vasquez headed back to her room, returning in seconds with her laptop. "I'll tap into the satellites over the area and see if I can analyze Cadmus' latest toy…give us a better idea of what we're dealing with this time."

"Good. Update me as soon as you get something." Jamming the EMP into the front pocket of her hoodie, Alex grabbed her helmet and headed out to where she'd parked her motorcycle. After brushing off the snow and sliding her sword into the mount, she put the helmet on and was about to leave when she realized she'd been followed. The young immortal twisted around to see D'Clan – a tall, dark-haired, well-muscled Almeracian who'd been exiled some years ago for daring to question Maxima's fitness to rule due to her obsession with Kal-El. He'd been at the bar the night everyone was rounded up, and had volunteered to stay behind and join the resistance.

"You missed our session today," he frowned. D'Clan had also been helping Alex with her sword work, since his former position had been that of Royal Weapons Master (whatever that meant). "I know I am not the teacher you wanted, but that does not mean you can neglect your practice. Not when it is vital to your survival." He'd figured out what she was right away, since Almeracians were apparently aware of immortals and he knew the signs, so convincing him to help hadn't been a huge issue. But he was even more demanding a taskmaster than Jo, and there were times Alex just needed a break. Like today.

She rolled her eyes. "I get it, Dec. Really. But I don't have time to argue with you right now. Not with Cadmus on the attack again."

"I heard," he nodded. "We wish to help." D'Clan crossed his arms, practically daring her to refuse. As he spoke, she spotted a couple of other aliens coming up behind him. An Andromedan named Vark-Kreb and a Vuldarian whose name she couldn't pronounce (though she'd privately dubbed him 'Morph') – also volunteers.

Alex shook her head. "It's too dangerous. If you got caught…."

"We know the risks, Alex. And, as I understand it, Supergirl is already out there."

"Not my first choice, but she might be the only one strong enough to take this thing down before it hurts any kids."

D'Clan nodded. "True. She is quite strong. But so are we. And every moment we waste debating this puts more innocent lives in jeopardy."

"Fine," she sighed. "Get on. And tell your friends they'd better be able to keep up." She tossed D'Clan the keys to Jo's Caddy. Nodding, he spoke briefly with the other two, who hopped into the car and took off almost immediately. He'd barely mounted the bike behind Alex when she hit the gas, barreling full-tilt towards the orphanage and hoping that Maggie and Kara would still be in one piece when they arrived.

"Have you told her yet?" D'Clan asked as she drove. Alex groaned. When they'd first started working together on the sword stuff, he'd agreed not to say anything to Kara, but that didn't stop him from constantly admonishing her to come clean to her sister before anything bad could happen. Between him and Maggie, it was really starting to grate on her nerves.

"Now isn't the time, Dec. My reasons for keeping it from her haven't changed, and until they do my answer remains the same. Now can we just drop it and focus on the giant fucking mess we're probably riding into?"

"Of course."

Before either of them could say anything else, Vasquez's voice came through her coms. " _ **I have something, but I'm afraid the news isn't good. The new-and-improved Henshaw is giving off a radioactive signature like the previous model. Only this radiation doesn't seem to be from Earth.**_ "

"Kryptonite?"

" _ **No. The signature doesn't match Kryptonite. Not any of the types we're familiar with, anyway. But it doesn't match anything else in our database, either. Which means—**_ "

"Lena couldn't possibly have accounted for it when making the EMP." She swore. "How dangerous is this radiation?"

There was some shuffling in the background, and a moment later Lena's voice replaced Vasquez's. " _ **I don't believe it's dangerous to humans. However, you should get Kara out of there before doing any serious damage to the robot. The radiation might not be Green Kryptonite, but it looks an awful lot like a synthetic type Lex was working on in secret before his arrest. Something that would permanently rob a Kryptonian of their powers. Think he called it 'Gold Kryptonite.' I never thought it could be used as a power source, but it looks like Cadmus found a way. It probably won't hurt her behind whatever containment Cadmus is using to shield the power source within their robot. However, if that source is exposed, she could be in serious trouble.**_ "

"Fuck! Put Sue back on." There was more shuffling before Vasquez acknowledged her return. "Did Kara take her coms?"

" _ **I believe so.**_ "

"Good. Patch me through right now." The line went dead for several moments.

" _ **Kind of busy here, Alex,**_ " she finally heard Kara grunt.

"You need to get out of there right now. Cadmus is powering that thing with something that can seriously hurt you."

" _ **I'm not abandoning those kids. I—**_ " Flesh met flesh, then impacted against something hard. A moment later, Alex heard her baby sister groaning in pain.

"Kara!"

" _ **I'm fine. This thing just packs a hell of a punch.**_ "

"Well, I'm serious. You need to get out of there. I'm on my way with Dec and the others."

" _ **I can't leave just yet. If I do, it'll go right for the kids.**_ "

"What about Maggie?"

" _ **She's down.**_ "

"What?" Alex practically screamed as she hit the gas, pushing the bike to go faster. "Is she hurt?"

" _ **I don't know. Can't see through her suit. Why the hell did you guys line it with lead?**_ "

"Seemed like a good idea at the time. Look…we're almost there. Just hang tight, and as soon as we arrive we'll keep that thing busy while you get those kids to the warehouse. The alien ones, at least. I'm hoping it won't go for the humans."

" _ **Okay,**_ " she heard Kara sigh. " _ **Just promise me you'll be careful.**_ "

"Always am."

" _ **Famous last—**_ " There was another impact, and the line went dead. Swearing under her breath, Alex gunned the engine one more time, practically flying over the remaining distance to the orphanage. Maggie was lying in a heap on top of some crumpled trashcans, Kara was climbing out of a Supergirl-sized hole in a nearby building, and Henshaw was heading her way to dish out more punishment. Thankfully, Vark-Kreb and Morph were already there and moving to intercept, and D'Clan didn't even wait for the bike to stop before leaping off and pulling out his battleax. Alex parked the motorcycle at the edge of the scene, and as she removed her helmet something set off her senses. Instinctively reaching for her blade, she looked around until she spotted the brunette from the wake at Joe's, wearing a conservative dress instead of hospital scrubs. She was standing in the doorway of the orphanage with her right hand down by her side, clutching what looked like a musketeer sword. Their eyes met, and the woman glanced over at Henshaw before turning back to her with an understanding nod. Returning the nod, Alex stashed her own sword inside her coat and pulled her gun as she rushed towards the robot. She fired a few shots to get its attention, and without missing a beat Kara sped to the orphanage, exchanging a few brief words with the woman in the doorway before heading inside. Henshaw moved to follow and Alex quickly shot off a few more rounds while the others quietly surrounded the thing.

"Nice try, Cylon Number 5. Or is it 4? I can never remember which one's the asshole extremist…."

"DEO Agent Alex Danvers. Another bleeding-heart alien-lover just like your father."

"Stuck on repeat, are you?" Alex muttered, shaking her head as she maneuvered so she was facing the orphanage and Henshaw was forced to face the opposite direction. She saw her sister fly off with an armful of kids. "Back off now and my friends and I won't have to turn you into scrap."

"You can try," Henshaw snarled, leaping forward. Alex rolled out of the way just in time and emptied the rest of her magazine into the robot's head as she returned to her feet. The shots did no damage, but they kept its attention long enough for Kara to come back and evacuate more kids. Unfortunately, before she had the chance to reload, the robot lifted Alex over its head and slammed her down across its knee with a sickening crack. It then dumped her onto the street and she lay there, paralyzed, watching helplessly as the creature closed in, its eyes lit up in gold. She half-expected Kara to ignore her warnings and swoop in for the save. Instead, it was D'Clan who stepped in, swinging his ax and taking one of Henshaw's arms off. Henshaw sent the Almeracian flying with its remaining arm, and the sound he made when he landed definitely did not bode well. But the other two closed in before the robot could regain its bearings. Vark-Kreb was trying to overpower it with Kryptonian-like strength, while Morph had shifted his arms into wicked-looking blades and was looking for an opening to attack.

While Henshaw was distracted, the feeling returned to Alex's legs and she climbed back to her feet just as Kara returned. Her sister had a brief conversation with the other immortal at the scene, then rushed over to Maggie and scooped the smaller woman up into her arms. Presumably, all of the extraterrestrial orphans had already been evacuated. Alex gave Kara a grateful nod as the younger Danvers took to the air one last time. She turned back to the fight, only to find that Henshaw had pushed the other two aside and was staring up at Supergirl, its eyes glowing gold once more. "Oh no you don't," Alex grumbled, launching herself at the robot just as it let loose a burst of what she could only assume was its version of heat vision. She took the robot to the ground, throwing off its aim, but when she looked up she saw her sister falter a bit. The immortal couldn't tell where the younger Danvers had been hit, but luckily the shot didn't seem have done any serious damage, since Kara continued flying with the injured Guardian in her arms. She turned back to Henshaw, who was climbing back to its feet just as D'Clan was doing the same nearby. Vark-Kreb and Morph had recovered as well. Alex shared a glance with her comrades-in-arms as she drew her own blade. "Game over, motherfucker," she snarled. All at once, D'Clan took off the remaining arm, she and Morph each removed a leg, and Vark-Kreb attempted to rip into the robot's chest.

There was a small explosion as the chest plating came free, knocking them all off their feet. Alex was the first to recover, followed by D'Clan and Morph. Vark-Kreb, however, didn't even stir. The Almeracian moved in to check, shaking his head a moment later. Swearing under her breath, the immortal chopped Henshaw's head off, then yanked the yellow crystal from its chest and crushed it beneath her boot. As she did, the sound of police sirens filled the air. "We have to go," she heard D'Clan urge.

"Yeah. You two get the body out of here. There's something I have to do first."

He nodded. "Be careful."

"Of course." She watched D'Clan lift Vark-Kreb into his arms and carry him to the Caddy as Morph got in the driver's seat and started the engine, peeling out as soon as everyone was inside. The sirens drew closer, so Alex slid her blade into the sword mount on her bike and hopped back on, pulling up in front of the orphanage where the brunette was still standing. "Is there at least one other adult inside?"

The woman nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I think we should talk, but if I hang around here much longer I'll probably wind up behind bars."

"Fair enough." The other immortal threw on a coat, stashing her sword inside. She then climbed onto the bike and Alex handed over her helmet before gunning the engine. The younger immortal had to take a few odd twists and turns to make sure they weren't followed, but still made it back to the warehouse in what might be considered record time. "Is this where you live?" the woman asked as she removed the helmet.

"Sort of. I still have an apartment in the city, but I spend most of my time out here, trying to help the aliens who don't want to sign their lives over to Mayor Lord. Supergirl should've brought the ones from the orphanage here already if you want to check in on them."

"Of course," the brunette nodded. "My name is Grace Chandel, by the way." She held out her hand, and Alex automatically shook it.

"Alex Danvers." She paused for a moment, really looking Grace over. There was still something very familiar about her, but Alex couldn't quite place it. "I feel like I know you from somewhere. Other than Joe's, I mean."

Grace smiled. "I'm sure it'll come to you soon enough, Alexandra." As the older immortal spoke, the missing piece finally clicked into place for Alex. Other than her mother (and occasionally Maggie), there was only one person who'd ever been able to get away with using her full name.

"Dr. Stevenson?" Alex wasn't sure why she hadn't seen it earlier, but it was definitely the same woman who'd taught several of her favorite med school classes at Stanford, and had briefly served as her faculty advisor as well. For a moment, she found herself wondering just how many other immortals she'd met in her life without knowing it.

"That is one of the many aliases I've used over the centuries," Grace nodded. "And you were certainly the brightest student I've ever had. It's a pity you didn't continue to pursue medicine."

"Well, your classes certainly made me want to. Things just…didn't work out the way I'd planned," she shrugged. "Though I guess if I can keep my head attached long enough, there's always a chance to give it another go later."

"Yes, there is that." She sighed. "I'm sorry about your friend."

"I didn't know him that well, to be honest. But he knew what he was getting into. Most of the aliens we've rescued wanted to get the fuck out of the city as soon as possible."

"But he stayed, even knowing the risk he was taking. Such bravery is rare these days."

Alex shook her head. "Not as rare as you'd think…at least, not in the circles I've been running in. Though I'm a little surprised that Ben didn't drag you out of town. From the way he spoke, I was sure I'd be the only immortal left in National City other than Lord."

"Benjamin may only care about himself, but I could not leave those children unprotected."

"Good to know that not all immortals are like Lord and Ben. I don't suppose you'd be interested in helping a girl out?" she added hopefully.

Grace shook her head. "Much as I would like to, I fear I would not be the best teacher. I only know enough about fighting to keep my head, and I generally avoid violence except as an absolute last resort. And I would send you to MacLeod, but – last I heard – he already had a student. We generally don't work with more than one at a time."

"Oh," Alex sighed, disappointed. Looked like she'd be stuck with D'Clan for the moment. She glanced over at the building. Both he and Maggie had been hurt, and she still had no idea how badly.

"Perhaps we can continue this after you've checked on your other friends. And I can help if anyone needs medical attention."

"Thanks. I'm still pretty good at that stuff, but anything you could do would be appreciated."

"Of course." With that, Alex returned her blade to her coat and they both headed into the warehouse, where Vasquez and Lena had already set up a makeshift triage area. The kids mostly just seemed shaken up, and the youngest Luthor looked like she was doing her best to settle them down. Maggie was still unconscious, Kara was sitting on another cot with a leg propped up, and D'Clan also appeared to be waiting to be examined. Vark-Kreb was laid out in a far corner, a sheet draped over his body.

"I'll take a look at Supergirl and my other alien friend if you can check on the one in the armor."

"Don't worry…I'll take excellent care of her," Grace assured her, obviously having picked up something in Alex's tone despite her attempt to keep it neutral. Nodding her thanks, the younger immortal moved to where D'Clan was waiting. Worried as she was about Kara, the hit that the Almeracian had taken earlier was even more concerning.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I was hit by a rather large Earth vehicle."

Alex frowned. "Can you be a bit more specific?"

"My back hurts, and I think I might have cracked some ribs. But I will be fine."

"Not necessarily. A fractured rib could—"

He put a hand on her shoulder, cutting her off. "I said I will be fine. Almeracians may not heal quite as fast as some others in here, but we are still rather sturdy. A few hours from now, it shall be as though nothing happened."

"Almost," Alex muttered, cutting her eyes towards Vark-Kreb's remains. "I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, Alex. He died a warrior. In his culture, that is the highest honor one could hope for."

She nodded. "What about…?"

"His Vuldarian friend? Hard to tell. They are not the most emotive race."

"So where is he?"

D'Clan shrugged. "I believe he is doing a patrol to make sure the police did not follow us here. And he needed some time to himself. The two of them were…close."

Alex gave another nod, forcing herself not to think about having to go through that with Maggie someday. "Do you know how Andromedans lay their dead to rest?"

"I shall take care of it. And you should go take care of your sister. If that beam the robot shot her with was from that power source Ms. Luthor warned you about, there could be permanent damage."

"Don't remind me," she muttered. "Are you sure you don't need anything? Pain medication, for instance?"

He shook his head. "Go." Not needing any further encouragement, Alex moved over to where her sister had apparently been watching their exchange rather intently.

"Is D'Clan okay?" Kara asked softly.

"He took a pretty good hit out there, but the regenerative capabilities of Almeracian physiology are almost on par with those of Kryptonians."

"And for those of us who don't have fancy doctorates?"

Alex chuckled. "He heals fast, just like you do."

"What about you?" the younger Danvers frowned. "Evacuating the kids didn't keep me from seeing you get knocked around a bit."

"I'm fine, Kar. Check for yourself if you don't believe me."

Squinting the way she always did to use her x-ray vision, Kara looked her sister over for several moments. "I don't see any broken bones or internal bleeding."

"See?"

"How is that even possible? Maggie's unconscious, one of our new friends is dead, another nursing broken bones, and you walk away without so much as a scratch?"

"I got lucky," Alex shrugged.

Kara's eyebrow shot up. "You've been getting lucky quite a lot lately. And I'm not talking about Maggie. Is there something going on that you're not telling me about?"

"It's nothing you need to worry yourself over."

"Why don't you let me decide whether or not to worry?"

The elder Danvers sighed. "Look…if it was something bad, I'd tell you. Promise." Another sigh. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do," Kara shot back. "But you've been pretty secretive for the past few months, and I hate feeling left out of the loop. Especially with you. We're not supposed to have secrets from each other, Lexie."

"I know. And I'll tell you everything when the time is right. We're just not there yet."

"Lexie…"

With another sigh, Alex ran a hand through her sister's hair before leaning in and touching their foreheads together. "I'm not trying to be difficult, Kar. Really. It's just…I have to take care of some things first. Make sure everyone's safe."

"I could help with that. El-Mayara, remember?"

"El-Mayara," Alex repeated automatically. "I know. But this is something I have to do on my own. Just…trust me? Please?" After a moment or two of tense silence, she felt Kara nod against her head. Kissing her baby sister on the forehead, the elder Danvers pulled back a bit. "Now it's _my_ turn to ask how _you're_ doing."

"I'm fine," the younger Danvers insisted.

"Now who's keeping something back?" Alex glanced pointedly at Kara's propped up leg, and her sister sighed.

"Okay, so it still stings a bit from where the robot shot me. But I'm sure all I need is some time in the sun."

"Let's see…." Before her sister had a chance to protest, the elder Danvers poked a finger into Kara's knee. The younger Danvers yelped and let loose some rather colorful Kryptonese. "Sounds like more than a little sting to me."

"It was fine until you poked it," Kara grumbled.

"Sure it was. Why don't you let me take a look?"

"Fine."

"Thatta girl," Alex grinned, patting her sister on the shoulder. "Think you could change out of the supersuit without—" Kara dashed off before she had a chance to finish, returning seconds later clad in what the elder Danvers recognized as her favorite pajamas. And the pained expression that crossed the Kryptonian's features as she got back onto the cot was unmistakable. "I was going to ask if you could change without putting more strain on your knee. Maybe next time you'll wait for me to finish before rushing off."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Let's just see what the damage is." Alex moved over to her sister's right leg and pushed the loose pajama pants up far enough for her to get a better look at the injured appendage. Her knee appeared red and swollen, but it was hard to tell from that angle where the damage had been done. "Roll onto your side for me," she instructed, gently guiding her sister in the right direction. Once Kara had shifted position, the elder Danvers could see a rather nasty burn mark on the back of her sister's knee. And the swelling told her that the shot had probably done something to the tendons or ligaments. She'd have to do some scans to figure out exactly what had been compromised. "Yep…it's gonna have to come off," she quipped.

"What!"

"I'm kidding."

"Funny," Kara grumbled, looking exactly the opposite of amused as she rolled onto her back once more. "So how bad is it?"

"Looks like the robot's laser did some damage to your knee. There's a burn mark, and something is definitely going on internally."

The younger Danvers frowned. "But sun exposure should make me good as new, right?"

"I don't know," Alex sighed. "According to Lena, the robot was powered by a synthetic form of Kryptonite that's designed to strip a Kryptonian's powers permanently. Obviously, you weren't exposed to enough of it to do that, but there's a distinct possibility that your regenerative capabilities have been compromised…at least where the beam struck. So you'll probably have a scar where the burn mark is, and any other damage might have to be dealt with the human way."

"Oh," Kara muttered, her expression that of a kicked puppy. "Can you fix it?"

"I'll know more once I can see what's going on in there." The elder Danvers turned to Vasquez, who was sitting nearby working on something on her laptop. "Were you guys able to rig up that portable medical scanner we talked about?"

Sue nodded. "Your new doctor friend is using it on Maggie, but I'll get it to you as soon as she's done."

"Thanks. Is Maggie alright?"

"I'll go check." Vasquez headed off to where Grace was examining the former detective, and Alex turned back to her sister, who was staring at Lena. The youngest Luthor had a tiny Toomian in her lap – not seeming the least bit repulsed by the toddler's brown fur and wolf-like features – and was surrounded by about half a dozen other children of varying ages and races.

"She's really good with kids," Kara sighed dreamily.

Alex rolled her eyes. "And I bet you're already imagining a nursery full of baby Super-Luthors."

"What? No. Of course not. I mean…she and I…we aren't…."

"Sure you aren't," she teased, rather enjoying Kara's pathetic attempt at denial. She reached out and gave her sister's shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "It's okay, Sis. Really. Lena…she's actually kind of cool. Not to mention a genius…almost as smart as I am." Among other things, the youngest Luthor had taken the data they'd already gathered on Lord's 'technosite' and managed to isolate a bit of code in the nanotech that she believed might hold the key to shutting them down without killing the hosts. It was just a matter of figuring out how. Though Alex would never admit it out loud, Lena had actually earned her respect by jumping in on the research she'd been forced to neglect and finding something no one else had even thought to look for.

"Smarter, actually," Kara shot back, oblivious to her sister's train of thought.

"Maybe," Alex shrugged. "Point is, I like her. And if you tell her I said that I'll personally torch all of your N*SYNC albums."

Kara frowned. "You wouldn't."

"Try me." She would've said more, but Grace chose that moment to approach. "Dr. Stevenson—"

"Wait," the younger Danvers chimed in. "That's the med school professor you were always gushing about?" She turned to Grace. "No offense, but you look like you're barely out of med school yourself."

"Does Cat Grant look her age?" Alex challenged.

"Well…no…"

"There you have it." She turned back to Grace. "How's Maggie?"

"Ms. Sawyer will be fine. She has a concussion, so you should keep an eye on her for the next few days, but other than that and some bruised ribs, she got away without a scratch. You really ought to thank whoever built her that armor. She'd probably be dead without it."

Alex nodded, making a mental note to send Winn a really awesome Christmas gift to show her gratitude. "Is she awake?"

"Yes. She's still a bit groggy and is having some nausea, but – except for the trauma itself – her memory does appear to be intact. There's no bleeding on her brain that I could see on the scans, so as long as she rests herself and takes the necessary precautions, she should be fully recovered in a couple of weeks at the most. Likely much sooner."

"Thank you."

"Of course," Grace smiled. "I trust you remember the protocols for treating a concussion."

"Bed rest for a few days, and limited physical and mental activity until the symptoms begin to abate, at which point the patient can begin to gradually ease back into said activities." As she spoke, Alex heard her sister snort. "What?"

"Oh…nothing. I'm just surprised you know all of that, considering that the last few times you've had concussions you completely ignored your doctors' advice and kept right on doing everything you normally do as though nothing was wrong. Big freaking baby," she added under her breath.

Grace's eyebrow shot up. "Alexandra! I _know_ I taught you better than that."

"Thanks a lot," Alex grumbled, glaring at her sister before turning back to the older immortal. "Okay, so maybe I'm not the best at taking care of myself. But I'd never let anything happen to Maggie. Trust me on this." She shook her head. "I'm going to go check on my girlfriend now. I'll be back in a few with that scanner so I can figure out how to fix your knee," she added, turning to Kara.

The older immortal shook her head. "Actually, I'll be taking over Supergirl's care from here. From what I've seen of your interactions just in these past few minutes, your relationship is more familial than professional. And you know very well that you're not supposed to treat your own family."

"No offense, Dr. Stevenson, but in this case you don't know what you're talking about. The normal rulebook pretty much goes out the window when you're one of the only people on the planet with an expertise in Kryptonian physiology."

"Well, according to your mother's lectures, the musculoskeletal system of a Kryptonian is virtually identical to that of a human, with only a few minor differences."

Alex's jaw dropped. "You know my mother?"

"When I joined the board of the orphanage a few years back and we started taking in young aliens in addition to our human charges, I felt it would be beneficial to learn what I could about astrobiology in order to ensure that they received the care they needed. Eliza Danvers just happens to be the country's leading expert in the field, and I thought it wise to learn from the best."

"Right," the elder Danvers muttered. She pulled Grace over to one side, hoping that her sister's politeness (and/or her fascination with Lena) would keep the younger girl from listening in. "Look…I respect you as a mentor, and I hope that someday we can be friends as well. But that girl over there means everything to me. If you fuck this up, I _will_ make you pay." As she spoke, Alex drew back her coat so Grace could see the hilt of her sword. "Are we clear?"

Grace sighed. "The threats are unnecessary, Alexandra. I will treat her as I've treated every other patient I've ever had in my many years of practicing, and will do my absolute best to make her whole again. Besides – as I mentioned earlier – I abhor violence, except as an absolute last resort. Are _we_ clear?" Alex nodded, letting her coat fall back into place. "Good. Now go check on Ms. Sawyer, and I'll take excellent care of our young hero, here. Okay?"

"Fine." She turned to Vasquez, who was coming towards them with what she presumed was the scanner they'd discussed. "Go over our Supergirl treatment protocols with Dr. Stevenson and give her whatever help she needs. I'll be with Maggie if anything comes up."

"Yes Ma…Alex," Vasquez nodded, quickly moving to do as asked. While she and Grace talked, Alex returned to Kara's side, pulling her into a brief hug.

"Behave yourself for the nice doctor," she whispered into her sister's ear, "or no potstickers for a week."

Kara frowned. "That's mean. You're mean."

"Care to make it two?"

"Fine," the Kryptonian huffed.

"Good girl. I'm going to see Maggie now. If you need anything, yell."

"Will do," Kara nodded. Alex dropped a quick kiss on her sister's forehead before heading over to the cot Maggie was laying on, which had been moved into the late Andromedan's quarters to give her some privacy. The former detective had been stripped of her armor and bodysuit (which were now piled in the far corner of the room) and had bandages wrapped around her lower torso. She was currently curled up on her side, clutching a bucket for dear life. Smiling, Alex draped her coat across a nearby chair and knelt down next to Maggie's head.

"How are you feeling?" Maggie groaned. "That bad, huh?"

"Next time, you get to be the evil robot's human Frisbee."

Alex chuckled, running a hand through her girlfriend's hair. "Deal," she nodded. "So how much do you remember?"

"Everything until Henshaw grabbed me from behind the car I was using as cover and sent me flying. Then the next thing I know is some strange woman standing over me, telling me I have a concussion and bruised ribs." She frowned. "Since when do we let humans we don't know come in here, anyway?"

"She's not a stranger, exactly. She was actually my favorite professor in med school until I got kicked out of the program for 'improper use of resources.'"

Maggie's eyebrow shot up. "Wait…you got _kicked out_ of med school? What the fuck did you do?"

"I was working with Kara and Clark's DNA, trying to see if there was a way to make them stronger and improve on their own healing capabilities so that, on the rare occasions they got hurt, they wouldn't be down for too long. Not that Kara was putting herself in harm's way back then, but one can never be too prepared. Most of the medical equipment we have for Kryptonians at the DEO is based on my research. Unfortunately, the med school took issue with me using their resources to research non-human genetics and gave me the boot. The bioengineering program, on the other hand, was way more open-minded and let me have free reign, more or less. At least until the government started poking around in my research. Which is a story for another time."

"And this professor you liked so much didn't stand up for you?"

"It was out of her hands," Alex shrugged. "And I didn't see her again until the night of Jo's wake."

Maggie frowned. "She was at the bar?" The young immortal nodded. "So she's either a Watcher, or…."

"Like me, yes. Only much more experienced. And before you ask, I already talked to her about training. Her answer was that she'd love to, but she really wasn't the right person for the job. She's basically a pacifist, from what I've gathered…only knows just enough to keep her head, and generally avoids fighting unless absolutely necessary. Which I can respect. At least she understands her limitations and doesn't want to give me false hope."

"Right…," Maggie muttered. She didn't seem entirely convinced, but the immortal didn't push. Now wasn't the time. "Are you sure we should be talking about this in here?" the ex-detective asked, lowering her voice a bit. "What if Kara hears us?"

Alex shook her head. "Kara was injured while getting you out of there. It's relatively minor, but Henshaw was being powered by a synthetic version of Kryptonite that's designed to permanently strip a Kryptonian's powers, and we think the beam he hit her with was straight from that source. Not enough to de-power her, but the injury probably won't heal as fast as it normally would. Dr. Stevenson is treating her – not my first choice, but she did kind of have a point about treating family – and if she's following the protocols we set up Kara should be under the red sun lamps right about now. Meaning she won't be able to eavesdrop." Maggie nodded, and looked like she was about to say something, only to wind up vomiting into the bucket. Alex automatically pulled Maggie's hair out of the way and gently rubbed her back until the vomiting finally subsided. "Feeling better?" she asked softly, setting the bucket aside as her girlfriend laid back down.

"I hate concussions," the former detective grumbled.

"Then we're probably in the wrong line of work."

Maggie laughed a little. "You planning to stop anytime soon?"

"Nope. You?"

"Hell no."

They both laughed a little at that. Alex sighed, brushing her fingers along her girlfriend's cheek. "You're going to have to be more careful, Mags. If not for that armor, we wouldn't even be having this conversation right now. And while I love how passionate you are about being Guardian, I want us to have as much time together as possible."

"So do I. Why do you think I freak out whenever you do something stupid and reckless? My nightmare is watching you leave and then getting that call from Dawson saying you lost your head to Lord, or someone like him."

"And mine is you getting killed trying to take on Henshaw again. Or some alien that's bigger and stronger than you can handle. That armor doesn't make you invincible, you know."

"You're not invincible either," Maggie shot back. "None of us are, really. But if we don't take risks sometimes, we'll have no chance of ever winning."

Alex nodded. "True. I guess we'll just have to agree to try and keep the stupid ones to a minimum."

"Fair enough." A nauseous look crossed her girlfriend's features, but Alex wasn't quite fast enough retrieving the bucket and the vomit wound up on the cot and floor. "Sorry," Maggie groaned.

"Don't worry about it." Alex took the bucket to the bathroom and dumped it, grabbing some cleaning supplies on her way back. She set the bucket down next to their now-deceased friend's bed, then scooped Maggie up from the cot and transferred her to it.

"I'm not taking Vark-Kreb's bed," the ex-detective insisted.

The young immortal shook her head. "He…he doesn't need it anymore." She started cleaning up the mess, wanting to give her girlfriend a moment to process the news, since she'd known the Andromedan longer.

"How did it happen?" Maggie asked softly.

"When we were taking down Henshaw, he ripped into the robot's chest and exposed the power source. There was an explosion, and when the smoke cleared he was the only one who stayed down. I can't be 100% certain without doing some sort of post-mortem – which I won't if it would violate some Andromedan tradition – but my guess is that the similarities between Kryptonians and Andromedans made him just as vulnerable to the so-called 'Gold Kryptonite' as Kara would've been. I'm just glad she was well out of range when the explosion happened."

The former detective nodded, and Alex could tell that she was holding back tears at the loss of her friend. She quickly finished the cleanup and sat down on the bed, cupping her girlfriend's cheek. "It's okay, Mags," she whispered. "You don't have to act tough around me. I'm not going anywhere." At that, the proverbial dam finally burst and Maggie pulled her close, sobbing into the soft fabric of her hoodie. Alex wrapped her arms around the smaller woman, gently rubbing her back as she finally let loose everything she must have been keeping bottled up for who knows how long. The young immortal could feel tears pricking the corners of her own eyes – not for the alien she'd barely known, but for how close she'd come to losing the two people she cared about most. She wasn't sure how long the two of them stayed like that, but eventually Maggie's sobs started to taper off and Alex wiped her own eyes before returning her attention to her girlfriend. "You okay?" she asked, brushing her thumb across Maggie's cheeks once the ex-detective finally pulled back to meet her gaze.

"How did everything get so fucked up?"

Alex shook her head. "People are fucking idiots, that's how. Too easily blinded by celebrity to see the monster lurking beneath the surface. And now it's too fucking late to do anything but try and limit the damage." She didn't know who she was angrier with – Cadmus for attacking innocent aliens, or Lord for letting it happen just to further his own anti-alien agenda. Sure, he'd made the token effort to send his 'Legion' in, but there'd been no sign of them when she'd arrived on the scene, meaning they'd probably turned tail and run the second things started getting messy.

"I just wish things could go back to the way they were," Maggie sighed. "Me as the hotshot NCPD detective, you as the badass DEO agent, and Supergirl as National City's beloved hero. Not that I hate being Guardian. I just wish it wasn't necessary."

"Me too." With a sad smile, Alex brushed her girlfriend's hair away from her face. "Why don't you get some rest? Maybe things will look better tomorrow."

Maggie nodded, laying back down on the bed. "Stay with me?"

"Always." The young immortal gave Maggie a soft, chaste kiss on the lips before kicking off her boots and sliding into the space between her girlfriend and the wall. She drew the covers over them both and wrapped an arm around Maggie's waist, pulling her close. " **If I lay here** ," she sang softly, running her free hand through her girlfriend's hair. " **If I just lay here. Would you lie with me and just forget the world?** " Alex had no idea why that song had suddenly popped into her head, and she couldn't remember the rest of the lyrics, but somehow it seemed appropriate in that moment. She repeated the refrain a few times until Maggie's breathing evened out, signaling that she'd fallen asleep. Sending up a silent – and perhaps desperate – prayer to gods she'd never really believed in that things would get better soon, Alex closed her eyes, joining her girlfriend in slumber.

TBC (For the record, the above-referenced lyrics are from the song Chasing Cars, and - in my mind, at least - the version that they used on Grey's Anatomy in the musical episode. See you Friday!)


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

A/N: Thanks again for the favorites/follows/reviews so far. And to JQN, answering your question would spoil Part 2. Last full chapter before the epilogue. Enjoy!

* * *

"10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…Happy New Year!" Alex pulled Maggie into a lingering kiss as CatCo's annual ball drop played on the TV in the common area. The celebrations in National City had been a bit more subdued this year, but that didn't stop their little ragtag bunch of misfits from grabbing what happiness they could find.

"We made it," Maggie grinned as she broke the kiss. Aside from the occasional dizzy spell – which, thankfully, were becoming less and less frequent – the ex-detective had fully recovered from the fight with the Henshaw robot.

Returning the smile, Alex ran her hands through Maggie's hair. "Yeah," she nodded. "Maybe this year things will start to turn around." She kissed Maggie once more, then the two of them dropped back down onto the couch and turned their attention to the rest of the festivities. Most of the children had been sent to bed hours ago, and D'Clan was in the process of tucking in the pair (supposedly Royal twins from Exoria) who'd been deemed old enough to stay up for the ball drop. The Almeracian was the only adult alien (aside from Kara, of course) who'd stuck around after the harbor thawed the week before. Even Morph had lost the will to fight in the wake of Vark-Kreb's death. And the children were staying until Grace could find some sort of living arrangement for them elsewhere. Alex had given the older immortal a few contacts (namely Eliza Danvers and Martha Kent) to try after driving her home that night, and the last she'd heard Martha had been more than willing to help, but she and Grace were still hashing out the details. Her mother, on the other hand, was just too busy with work at the moment to take care of any more children. A fact that the older woman had driven home quite thoroughly during the Skype session that had been their compromise for not actually spending Christmas together. Eliza didn't even seem to have noticed Maggie – a fact that Alex was actually quite relieved about because it spared her the fight that would've ensued, since she wasn't anywhere near ready to have that conversation with her mother and she knew Maggie would be pissed if she thought her girlfriend was trying to hide her like a dirty secret. On the other hand, most of the 'conversation' had involved her getting reamed out for letting Kara get hurt and not doing a better job of protecting her from Lord's ridiculous law. As if any of that was her fault. Just when she thought she and her mother had finally gotten to a good place in their relationship….

Shaking off the depressing thoughts, Alex shifted her gaze to where Kara lay stretched out on the other couch, her arm around an already-sleeping Lena. Exposure to yellow sunlight had healed the younger Danvers' knee for the most part, but the scar remained. She also still had a slight limp and wore a soft brace for extra support. But it hadn't dampened her abilities any, and she could still more than hold her own in a fight as long as she protected that knee (something Alex had been helping her with on the few occasions they'd had time to set up a red sun room and spar). More importantly, Kara hadn't let the injury squash the bit of optimism she'd somehow managed to hang onto in spite of everything. She'd even tried her best to spread it around, happily playing Christmas elf to D'Clan's reluctant Santa and passing out the gifts Lena had managed to procure for the alien children in their care. Alex laughed a little as she recalled the ridiculous costume her sister had put together for the occasion and was glad she'd snapped a picture – just in case Kara ever tried to deny that it happened. "What's so funny?" Maggie whispered.

"Kara the Christmas Elf."

The former detective chuckled. "No argument on the costume. But it _was_ for the kids."

"I know. Doesn't stop me from using it as blackmail later."

"You're terrible," Maggie muttered, smacking Alex in the shoulder.

"I'm not the one who wanted to bet on when she and Lena would finally hook up."

"It's not that much of a gamble, really. And you took the bet."

"Only because I know my sister better than you do."

"I'd hope so." Maggie shook her head. "So when do I collect my money?"

"You said it would happen before the new year. Considering Lena's already asleep and midnight has come and gone, I'd say I'm the one who should be collecting."

"I can hear you, you know," Kara grumbled. "And betting on someone's personal life is rather crass, don't you think?"

Alex smacked Maggie's shoulder. "Told ya."

"Don't act all innocent when you had $50 riding on Valentine's Day."

Kara glared. "I love you both, but the nature of my relationship with Lena is none of your business, and I'd appreciate it if you found other things to gamble on."

"Sorry," Alex sighed. "But I've seen the way you two look at each other. Is it so wrong to want to see my sister happy?"

"Of course not. But what does that have to do with you gambling on the outcome?"

"What I think she's trying to say," Maggie chimed in, "is that we didn't really see it as gambling when it seemed like a sure thing. Betting on _when_ it would happen was more like…I don't know…putting money into the office pool when one of your co-workers is pregnant and everyone tries to guess when she'll have the baby."

The younger Danvers stared at her sister and the former detective for several moments, as if trying to decide whether or not to believe them. But then her attention shifted and Alex caught the telltale expression associated with her super-hearing. "What's up, Kar?"

"Police sirens. They're heading this way."

"Are you sure?" Maggie asked. "There _are_ a lot of morons out on New Year's Eve."

Kara shook her head. "I hear them on their radios, talking about unregistered aliens at the harbor. Sounds like we've been compromised."

"How?" Alex wondered aloud, sharing a worried glance with her girlfriend. "I thought Lena caught the mole." After her conversation with her mother, the youngest Luthor had implemented a plan right out of Tyrion's playbook and fed different pieces of false intel to each suspect, then waited to see which one the Luthor matriarch jumped on. Turned out that the ship's second mate was spying for Lillian in exchange for her getting his oldest child into some fancy school the family could've never hoped to afford without her help. They shut that information pipeline down immediately and hadn't had any other problems until now.

Maggie frowned. "Either we were followed at some point, or Lord figured out a way around your detection device and managed to infect someone we trust with one of those parasite things."

"Doesn't matter," Kara muttered. "We have to get everyone out before they get here." She gently shook Lena's shoulders until the CEO opened her eyes. "We've got trouble," she said softly.

"What kind of trouble?"

Sharing another worried glance with her girlfriend, Alex stood up. "The police somehow figured us out. You and Kara need to get the kids into the tunnel and stay there until one of us gives the all clear." One of Lena's renovations to the warehouse was an underground passage that led to the docks, in case they needed to hide people and/or get them to the ship without being seen.

"No," Kara shot back, standing up and staring her sister down. "I'm not leaving you to deal with this alone."

The elder Danvers pulled her sister off to one side, putting an arm around her shoulders. "I get it, Kar…really. And I love that you want to stand up to Lord's goons together. But those kids need you. They need Supergirl. You and Lena are the best chance they have of escaping Lord's grasp. I don't even want to think about what he'd do to them – or to you. Don't worry about me. Just take care of them."

"And what about you? He could have you hauled off to prison. Or worse!"

"Let him try."

"Lexie…."

Alex sighed. "If Lord wants to send me to prison, fine. I'll do the time. All I care about is keeping you and those kids from ending up in one of his labs. Just put on the suit, grab the kids, and go. For my peace of mind if nothing else. Please."

Nodding, Kara sped to the loft and returned seconds later in full costume. "For the record, I'm only doing this because you're right about protecting the kids." Not giving her sister a chance to respond, the younger Danvers made a beeline for Lena, after which the two of them started waking the kids back up. With some help from D'Clan, Vasquez, and Maggie, it wasn't long before everyone had been safely escorted into the tunnel. Kara was the last to go down, and Alex grabbed her arm just before she descended.

"Seal the tunnel behind you," she instructed. The younger Danvers opened her mouth to protest, and Alex shook her head. "No matter what happens, there's no way we can keep using this building. It's burned. So seal up this end as soon as you're down there, and when we give you the all clear take everyone out to the ship. I know we haven't finalized any housing for them yet, but I'm sure your Aunt Martha won't mind taking them in for now…at least until everything is sorted."

"Okay. Just…be careful."

"Always." She pulled Kara into a hug before shooing her down below with Lena and the children. Once her sister was safe, she turned to the other three. "You guys should probably go, too. No need for all of us to go down."

"Fuck that," Maggie shot back. "I get why you want Kara out of the line of fire, but there's no way in hell I'm leaving my girlfriend to martyr herself to Maxwell fucking Lord. Besides…I've been dying to try out my Christmas gift." Winn had collaborated with Lena and made her a new Guardian suit apparently modeled after the fictional Iron Man, minus the flight capabilities. Same material as the old suit, but now it had even more bells and whistles – including the ability to get into it at a moment's notice.

"There's no way to talk you out of this, is there?"

"Nope."

"I had to try."

"I know."

Alex shook her head. "Have I told you how amazing you are?"

"Not in the last 24 hours."

"24 hours too long." The young immortal pulled her girlfriend into a searing kiss, trying her best not to think about the fact that it might well be their last for awhile. Someone cleared their throat, and she reluctantly broke the kiss and turned to see D'Clan and Sue.

"In case you are wondering," the Almeracian began, "Ms. Vasquez and I will be helping you hold this ground as well. Am I correct?" He looked at Vasquez, who nodded.

"Damn straight. So what's the plan?"

Alex looked around the warehouse as she tried to come up with something. She hadn't heard any sirens yet, so hopefully that meant they still had some time before the cops rolled up. Gaze falling on Lena's lab, she remembered the EMP from the last Henshaw attack and ran to retrieve it. She thrust it into Sue's hands on returning to the common area. "Can you boost the signal on that thing?"

"Sure. How far do you want it to go?"

"Cover the whole harbor, just to be sure."

Vasquez frowned. "It'll knock out our coms, and probably mess with the ship's systems too."

"I know," Alex nodded. "But unless you have a better idea, I think this is our best bet."

"Why don't I just expand the range just enough to account for all the police vehicles that would likely be used on a raid like this? One of us can plant it outside, and I can set it off remotely when we're ready. We'll just turn the lights off in here the old-fashioned way." Vasquez opened up the grenade and started fiddling with something on the inside. She shut it again a few moments later. "Done. Ready when you are."

"Great." She turned to face their tiny band. "Suit up…gear up…whatever you need to do. Make sure you have some sort of night vision stuff handy. When I say the word, Sue is going to set off that EMP. That's when the shit will hit the fan, so we need to be ready. If anyone wants to back out, now's your chance."

"Vive la Resistance," Maggie grinned, pressing something on her new watch. In seconds, bits of metal started flying at her from where they'd stashed the new armor, snapping into place automatically until Guardian stood before them in all her glory. The shield formed when she clenched her left hand into a fist, and a flick of her right hand produced what looked like a collapsible sword.

"Nice."

Guardian shrugged. "Saw it on an old TV show," she explained, her voice once again altered by the modulator. "Winn finally figured out how to make it happen."

"Works for me." Taking the EMP from Vasquez, Alex ran it outside and hid it near where the cops would likely park, as far from the warehouse as she could put it within that range. She could see red and blue lights in the distance and knew they wouldn't have much longer to prepare. On her way back through, she shoved something heavy in front of the door, then retrieved her coat and motorcycle helmet from the lead-lined room, shrugging on the former and tucking the latter under her arm for the moment. She saw D'Clan grab his battleax, while Vasquez settled for her service pistol and a set of night vision goggles. Almeracians supposedly had excellent night vision, so hopefully he'd be fine once everything went dark. Alex pulled Sue aside. "I think you know as well as I do that this isn't going to end in a victory for us," she whispered.

The analyst nodded. "What do you need me to do?"

"After you've set off the EMP, hang back and keep an eye on things. Then, when all of the cops are in here, send the signal to Lena and Kara to get those kids out to the ship. They won't have a better shot than that. And make sure Kara knows not to try and save us. There's no telling what Lord might have armed the cops with and I don't want her getting herself killed over this."

"Understood," Vasquez nodded.

Sirens sounded, followed by the screech of a bullhorn. "This is the NCPD," a voice announced. "We know you're harboring unregistered aliens in violation of the law. Come outside and surrender yourselves now, or we're coming in."

Alex looked at Sue. "Give 'em our answer," she ordered, putting on her helmet and drawing her sword as Vasquez moved to the back of the warehouse and hit the lights. She activated night vision mode and saw her fellow former agent press a button on a tiny remote. A moment later, the sirens died and she heard the police officers outside react to the EMP. "This is it," the immortal whispered. "Try not to kill anyone unless absolutely necessary." Nodding their understanding, Vasquez maintained her vantage point at the rear while everyone else scattered throughout the lower level. As they did, Alex could hear what was probably a battering ram pounding against the front door. She could feel her heart hammering against her ribcage and found herself absently fidgeting with her blade while attempting to steel herself for what was to come. Though she hadn't been lying about her willingness to go to prison if it meant keeping her sister safe, that didn't mean she was planning to go down without a fight. And there was no way this would be resolved without one, as she had a sinking feeling that the cops were out for blood. The probability that she'd be forced to out herself to Kara before the night ended was much higher than the alternative, and Alex could only hope that no one else she cared about would be hurt in the process.

Wanting a better idea of what was happening outside, the immortal switched her helmet to thermal imaging mode. She counted about a dozen officers, and based on the shapes of the figures at least half of them had to be SWAT. It was pretty much the same number she would've brought for a raid like this when she was still on active duty for the DEO. Just enough to ensure they could control the situation without potentially stepping on each other's toes. And there was no doubt backup waiting in the wings in case the cops found themselves outnumbered. She figured SWAT would come in first to clear the building, and then the rest would join them for the cleanup. "Everything okay?" Guardian whispered through the coms, sounding nothing like her girlfriend. Even after all this time, Alex still found the voice modulator a bit unsettling.

"SWAT team will be breaching any second. How do you want to play this?" As she spoke, the young immortal switched her helmet back to standard night vision so she could see her surroundings more clearly.

"I'll take point. And before you argue how dangerous that is, let me remind you that (a) I know these guys, and (b) my armor gives me advantages you don't have – including a variety of non-lethal options for taking down groups of attackers. You and D'Clan stay on the sidelines and flank them once I've drawn them all in. Sue can join us after she finishes whatever job you assigned her. Agreed?" They all nodded, and the door flew open before anyone could say anything else. Alex and D'Clan immediately ducked off to the sides, as instructed, while Maggie stood in the center of the floor. Something was thrown through the opening that the immortal immediately recognized as a gas canister. Without missing a beat, Guardian scooped it up and chucked it back out at the cops. "That should buy us another minute or so," she muttered, shrugging her shoulders and making what looked like tiny flashbulbs pop out of them. She retreated towards the common area, obviously wanting to give the SWAT team enough space to come in. "On my signal, turn off whatever night vision gadgets you're using." As Maggie spoke, the SWAT team came through the door, and once they'd cleared the opening Alex spotted some of the uniformed officers outside who'd obviously been affected by the gas. She nodded to Vasquez, who immediately pulled out her phone to message Kara and Lena. Hopefully, the cops would be too focused on Guardian to notice the screen light.

A sharp whistle cut through the silence, and Alex quickly deactivated the night vision in her helmet, turning away for good measure. There was a sound like camera flash going off, followed by pained yells. She reactivated the night vision to see the SWAT guys staggering around, disoriented. D'Clan moved in on the one closest to his position, and Alex did the same, kicking him behind the knee and driving the pommel of her sword into the back of his neck to take him down. Something slammed into her back, causing her to stumble, and she turned and drove her blade into the offender's shoulder. She made sure not to hit anything vital, but it was still enough to put him out of commission. Yanking her blade free and planting a boot in his chest to send him to the ground, Alex looked around for a new target. D'Clan had taken down three others, and the remaining three were converging on Maggie. But before the immortal could decide on a plan for evening the odds, Guardian shot something out of her arm that tangled around one SWAT guy's legs and caused him to faceplant. Then, without missing a beat, the vigilante slammed her shield into the second guy and sent him flying back several feet. The last one fired a few shots, but they bounced off the armor the same way they bounced off Supergirl. Shaking her head, Maggie touched her sword to the guy's chest. It lit up with electricity and he collapsed, twitching. Alex let out a low whistle, pulling off her helmet while Vasquez hit the lights. "Is it just me, or did that seem a bit too easy?"

Almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth, more sirens sounded outside. "You were saying?" Maggie shot back.

"Fuck!" Alex glanced through the open doorway as what seemed like dozens more police vehicles pulled up. At this point, it appeared they were screwed no matter what they did. Moving faster than Alex thought possible – no doubt thanks to whatever Winn and Lena put into that armor – Maggie snatched up the downed cops and tossed them back out the way they'd come in. Once the room was cleared, she nodded to Alex. The immortal closed the door, blocking it off with something heavy once again, then turned to Sue. "Please tell me you have some sort of protocols in place for wiping our hard drives and shit."

"Already done," Vasquez nodded. "And Lena just texted me to say that she and the kids are safely on board the ship. They'll be pulling out any second." Thankfully, the tunnel went to a ship at the other end of the harbor, so the cops would have no reason to connect the dots.

"Good. What about Kara?"

"She didn't say."

Alex swore. "Let's just hope she listens to me for once. Stubborn alien," she added under her breath.

"What do you want us to do?" Guardian ventured.

"The smart thing to do would be to fall back, but I'm guessing the fucking cops have us surrounded by this point. What else do you have in your arsenal, Mags?"

"Knockout gas, something Winn called a 'banshee scream,' an energy weapon of alien origin he managed to incorporate somehow…."

"That's it?"

"I'm only about halfway through the instruction manual," she shrugged. "Just kind of going with the flow here."

"We could have used one of the downed officers as a hostage," D'Clan grumbled. "Threatened his life to get his comrades to stand down. Tossing them back outside was a bad idea."

Maggie shook her head. "It wouldn't have made a difference. Turpin doesn't negotiate, and he doesn't let his officers do it either. Trying to play the hostage card would've been more likely to get us shot than get us a way out."

"I never expected this to end on a good note for us," Alex admitted with a sigh. "The kids are safe, so maybe I should just turn myself in…give you guys a chance to make a break for it." She moved towards the door, only to be intercepted by her armor-clad girlfriend.

"Fuck that. Kara would never forgive me if I stood back and let you sacrifice yourself to that monster, and I damn sure would never forgive myself. We're in this together, Alex. Ride or die. So what will it be? Do we give up, or do we stay and fight?"

Before Alex could answer, there was a loud crash. Everyone turned to see a hole in the ceiling and yet another Henshaw robot standing in the loft. "How about you die?" the robot growled.

The immortal turned to her friends. "Get out of here!" she ordered. "Now!" Vasquez took off through a side door, clearly aware of her own limitations in this instance. Granted, she was running towards the cops, but Alex was sure Lucy could get her out in no time. However, the other two didn't budge an inch. "What's the matter with you? I said go!"

D'Clan shook his head. "We shall face this creature together," he said, brandishing his battleax.

"What he said."

Alex turned to her girlfriend. "Don't do this, Mags," she urged. "Every time we've faced this thing, you've gotten hurt. I don't want to lose you."

"The last two times, I didn't have this hi-tech armor. I'll be fine." The words were barely out of Maggie's mouth when they both heard a loud thud, followed by a sickening crack. They whirled around just in time to see Henshaw – now on the lower level with them – toss D'Clan's lifeless body aside like it was nothing.

"One down. Two to go." Henshaw charged forward and Guardian moved to intercept, raising her shield as she stood between the robot and Alex. The second that Robo-Henshaw made contact, the shield repelled it and sent it flying into one of the loft's support columns. Luckily, there were still enough in place to keep the loft from collapsing.

"Cover your ears!" Maggie ordered as Henshaw started to rise. Alex quickly complied, and seconds later a high-pitched shriek filled the room. It seemed to mess with the robot's systems. Henshaw staggered a bit, landing heavily against another support column and causing it to crack. She could already hear the loft starting to buckle under its own weight. It could take the loss of one column – maybe two – but beyond that, they were fucked. And the immortal wasn't about to bet her girlfriend's life on whether or not that armor could withstand a building collapse.

"Cover me!" Not waiting for a response, Alex charged in after Henshaw, driving her blade into the robot's abdomen. Maybe not the brightest move, but trying to lure the robot out of the danger zone was a gamble, and at least if the worst happened she was guaranteed to recover.

Henshaw laughed. "Nice try," it growled, pulling the blade free and tossing it aside. An energy beam hit the robot moments later, and Maggie barely managed to dodge when it returned fire. Alex took advantage of the distraction and leapt towards her sword, only to find a hand around her throat just before she could reach it. Henshaw tightened its grip while lifting her off the floor. "You and your friend are traitors to the human race! And there is only one thing to do with traitors." With that, the robot hurled her into one of the remaining support columns, and she barely had time to recover from that impact before the loft came crashing down on her. She could hear Maggie screaming her name as it happened, but it was several long moments before the shock cleared up enough for the immortal to get her bearings. The common area had been demolished by the collapse, and a rather large chunk of floor had landed on Alex's lower half. Her legs were crushed. That much she figured out right away. Pelvis was probably smashed as well. She coughed up some blood, which was definitely not a good sign. Most likely a tension hemothorax. ' _Good thing nothing landed on my head_ ,' she mused as she moved it around to try and spot Maggie. When she did, Alex found herself beaming with pride as her girlfriend went toe-to-toe with the Henshaw-bot. Guardian was moving almost too fast for her to follow, sword and shield practically blurs as they pounded her opponent. ' _Guess the new armor really does make a difference_.' She watched as the ex-detective drove her blade into the robot's chest and light it up with electricity like she did with the SWAT guy. Only it did nothing to Henshaw, and moments later there was a backlash that sent her flying into the outer wall of 'their' lead-lined room.

"Maggie!" As the Henshaw-bot stalked towards its prey, Alex desperately tried to push the debris off of her body, even knowing in her head how little good it would do. But she simply lacked the strength. Instead, she watched in horror as Maggie staggered back to her feet, only for Henshaw to wrap a hand around her throat and lift her up. A couple of tubes snaked out of its hand – like something out of Star Trek – and latched onto the armor. Before her girlfriend could even attempt to break free, the armor went dark and fell away, leaving her very human body in the robot's clutches. "Leave her alone!" Alex snarled, grabbing a nearby bit of rubble and chucking it at Henshaw. The piece fell far short of making contact, but it was enough to get the robot's attention. It grinned at her in a way that made it absolutely clear how different that thing was from J'onn.

"She sealed her own fate the moment she aligned herself with those creatures. Cadmus will cleanse this world of aliens _and_ those who would betray their own race by giving them aid and comfort. Starting with the two of you." With that, Henshaw hurled Maggie through the lead-lined wall and into the weapons cabinet on the other side of the room. And the sound her girlfriend made on impact was anything but good. Alex couldn't see much past what was left of the wall, but the fact that Maggie stayed down made her heart clench in fear. Henshaw started towards the ex-detective – no doubt to finish her off – only to be intercepted by a red and blue blur that knocked it off its feet.

"Supergirl!"

"Sorry I took so long," Kara shrugged as Henshaw leapt back up and took a swing. She dodged the blow and landed one of her own on the creature's face. "Wanted to make sure our friends got where they needed to go." The robot swung again, knocking Kara down, but the Kryptonian quickly retaliated with a burst of heat vision that exposed some of the robotics beneath the synthetic flesh.

"Careful…we don't know what's powering this one."

Kara rolled away from Henshaw's attempt to stomp her into the ground and sped over to where Maggie lay. "I've got this," she assured Alex, grabbing a large chunk of the lead-lined wall and speeding back to the robot. She wrapped the lead around Henshaw's upper body, welding it together with her heat vision before ripping the robot's head off. With Robo-Henshaw down, Kara's heroic demeanor faltered and she rushed to her sister's side. "Rao…what happened?"

"We're going to have to find you someplace else to live," Alex quipped. But her attempt to lighten the mood only deepened the younger Danvers' frown.

"How bad are you hurt?"

The elder Danvers shook her head. "I'll be fine, Kar. Go check on Maggie."

"Lexie…"

"Please, Kara. She hasn't moved since that thing hacked her armor and threw her into that wall. I can't….I need her to be okay. Please tell me she's okay." With a sigh, Kara moved in for a closer look, and Alex could see her squinting like she always did to use her x-ray vision. She stayed silent for several long moments, which worried Alex even more. "Kar?"

"A bunch of broken bones, possible injury to her spine, some internal bleeding, and I'm pretty sure there's something happening in her head that shouldn't be."

"Jesus," Alex breathed. "You have to get her help, Kara. Now."

Kara shook her head, returning to her sister's side. "I'm not just going to leave you here, Alex! Not like this! Let me get this stuff off of you, at least." The elder Danvers knew that her sister was only arguing with her over this because she was afraid of losing yet another member of her family. She understood, but right now she had to get Kara back into hero mode.

"If you move it, I'll just bleed out faster." Every bit of medical knowledge Alex possessed told her that, one way or another, the injuries were going to kill her. And even though she would come back – and finally have to tell her sister the truth – Maggie simply didn't have the time to wait for Kara to process her grief. Better to get Kara moving now…save 'the talk' for when she inevitably returned.

"The police are still outside, Lexie. They fell back to just outside the harbor, and I don't know if they were ordered to stand down or if they're scared of Henshaw. But just because they're after us doesn't mean they'll let someone who's injured die. They can get her out when they come to clear the warehouse."

"And send her right to jail as soon as she's stable. I know you want to see the best in people, Kar, but those guys are too far under Lord's influence. It has to be you. Take her to the hospital and they'll never make the connection between her and Guardian. Please." As she spoke, Alex felt her chest growing heavier now that the adrenaline was finally wearing off. She coughed up some more blood, and panic filled her sister's eyes.

"I know you care about Maggie. So do I. But I can't just leave you here to die, Lexie. You promised you'd always be here for me!"

Alex nodded, reaching up to brush Kara's cheek. "I know, Kar. But right now there's more you can do for her than for me. And I couldn't bear it if I lost her. The two of you are the most important people in my life, and I would gladly die if it meant you both would live. Help her, Kara. Be her hero…like you've always been mine."

" _You_ are the hero, Alex," Kara sniffed as tears started to fall down her cheeks. "I need you."

"And I need both of you. I'll be fine. But she won't."

Kara shook her head again. "You're not fine."

"I…I think I can hang on long enough for you to get Maggie help and come back."

"O-okay," the Kryptonian finally nodded. "I love you, Lexie."

"Love you too, Sis. Now go." Kara nodded again, wiping the tears from her cheeks. She kissed Alex's forehead, using her cape to wipe the blood from her sister's mouth. A moment later, she sped outside, returning in seconds with a backboard – probably taken from some very confused EMTs. The young hero carefully moved Maggie onto it and strapped her down before picking up the whole thing and taking off. Alex watched as her sister and her girlfriend flew away through the hole Henshaw had made when he entered and prayed to whatever god or gods might be listening that they'd reach help in time. It was getting harder and harder to breathe, meaning that death was coming sooner rather than later. On the upside, there probably wasn't a better way to break the news to Kara than resurrecting right in front of her. Consciousness started to fade, and Alex thought she heard footsteps nearby. The last thing she saw was another Henshaw approach, carrying what looked like a body bag….

TBC (Sorry if I gave anyone traumatic flashbacks to Lexie Grey's death on Grey's Anatomy, but the parallels were too good to resist. If it helps, my personal headcanon is that, on Earth-38, Lexie - who looks similar to Alex, but not identical - was sitting next to Meredith on the plane and survived the crash. Anyway...see you Tuesday for the epilogue!)


	20. Epilogue

Epilogue

A/N: Thanks to everyone who favorited/followed/reviewed this story. Now on to the final chapter of Part 1. Enjoy!

* * *

Alex surged back to life with a loud gasp. The first thing she noticed was a complete lack of pain, which was a bit surprising given the severity of her injuries. Logically, the only explanation was that she'd been out for quite a while, which definitely didn't bode well. She slowly opened her eyes, hoping to find her sister waiting for her. Instead, the young immortal found herself inside what appeared to be one of the holding cells at the desert base. Only it couldn't be. The DEO would never do that to her – not last she'd checked, anyway – and no one else had access. Which meant that someone had gone to a lot of trouble to recreate the environment. She sat up on the small bench she'd been laid across, and in that moment realized just how much trouble she was in. Her clothes had been exchanged for a set of beige scrubs, her feet had been left bare, and – worst of all – she'd been put in restraints. Her wrists were locked into a set of cuffs with one of those black boxes around the middle. Those were attached to a chain around her waist, which was attached to another chain leading down to a set of shackles around her ankles. Alex tugged at the cuffs, trying to remember the trick for getting them open. Unfortunately, before she could even begin to figure it out, she was hit with the sensation of an approaching immortal. She shot to her feet in time to see Lord enter the room, holding her sword like some kind of trophy. "Karma's a bitch, isn't it," he grinned, walking right up to the glass wall separating them. "You illegally detain me in one of these for weeks, and now I get to do the same to you. Only there are no self-righteous aliens around to talk me into letting you go."

"Motherfucker!" Alex snarled, glaring at her captor. "What the fuck are you trying to pull?"

Lord laughed. "Normally, I'm not one to monologue, but since you're not going anywhere anytime soon…why not?" He sat down on the ledge outside the glass, laying her sword across his lap. "The truth of the matter is, my parents didn't die working on some virus. Those were the real Maxwell Lord's parents. And the young man whose identity I 'borrowed' is buried in a shallow grave somewhere outside Appleton. My real parents…the ones who adopted me, anyway…died because of creatures like your precious sister. Dad worked for a division of the FBI that dealt with extraterrestrials – the precursor to your DEO – and was killed by whatever came out of the ship that landed in Roswell. I was 10. Mom died a year later…drank herself to death out of grief. I spent the rest of my childhood in and out of foster homes, and when I was 18 I made my way to Nevada and broke into Area 51 to try and get proof that the aliens were real."

"Let me guess…that's how you got yourself killed the first time."

"Got it in one. Lucky for me, one of the higher-ups at the base was like us and took me under his wing. He taught me everything I needed to know about the Game, and about what really happened to my Dad. And when he outlived his usefulness, I took his head and moved on. I had a new mission – to eradicate the creatures that stole my parents from me – and all the time in the world to see it through."

"Fascinating," Alex growled. "But what the fuck does that little sob story have to do with me?"

"Because you're the key. I've spent decades trying to find a way to enhance humans so that they can fight back against our invaders. Transferring alien abilities to human hosts works, but so far most of the test subjects have burned out before they really had a chance to see what they can do with those abilities. My current theory is that if I can just find some way to give humans our healing abilities, they could withstand the powers and become true soldiers for the cause. I've tried it numerous times with the other immortals I've…collected…but nothing has worked. I think it's because they're all too old by the time I find them. Too many Quickenings under their belts. It may seem counterintuitive, but I believe what we need is a young immortal whose Quickening is entirely her own…one that hasn't been merged with those of others. Which is precisely where you come in."

Alex shook her head. "Fuck you. There's no fucking way I'm helping you create an army to go after people I care about."

Lord stood up, grinning almost maniacally. "Did I say you had a choice?"

"Do you honestly think you can turn me into a fucking lab rat without my sister coming for your crazy ass?"

He shrugged. "One, if a lab rat was all I wanted, I'd just keep you unconscious the whole time and let my scientists take whatever they needed. What I really need is your genius brain to help me figure out why my experiments have yet to succeed. But we'll get to that after my scientists are done with their tests."

"Go fuck yourself," she growled.

"Been there, done that."

"You're sick."

"Perhaps," he shrugged again. "Anyway…as for your sister…well…she's not likely to come looking for someone she believes to be dead." He hit a button and a video suddenly appeared on one of the glass walls surrounding her. She heard Kara wail with grief and looked to see the Kryptonian pulling a body from the rubble and holding it close. Her sister's brokenhearted sobs were like a sword being plunged into her heart. Alex sank to her knees, barely able to keep from crying herself as she watched Kara cradle what appeared to be her remains for several long moments before finally standing up and flying off with the body in her arms.

"What the fuck did you do?" she demanded, looking past the images to her captor's face.

"I cloned you from that hunk of hair I yanked out of your head at the penthouse. Not a fully functioning clone, but just alive enough for Henshaw to accurately recreate the fatal injuries. All we had to do was switch your clothes, drop the chunk of floor on the clone's lower half, and bundle you off while leaving the body for your sister to find. And if you're wondering why the clone didn't resurrect…well…that's something I've been trying to work out myself. Cloning immortals was one of the first things I tried once the technology became available, but the immortal gene never seemed to pass to the otherwise genetically identical clones. That puzzle is just one of the ones I'm hoping you will help me to solve."

"Fuck you," Alex spat, shaking her head. "Enjoy the victory while it lasts, you bastard. Sue and Maggie will tell Kara the truth, and your ass will be staked to the fucking wall faster than you can blink."

"Sue and Maggie," he mused. "You mean these two?" He hit the button again, and two new videos came up. One showed Vasquez being taken from jail in a straitjacket and shoved into a van marked 'Belle Reve' – which was second only to Arkham when it came to ranking the worst insane asylums in the country. And the other had Maggie lying in a hospital bed. There were bandages wrapped around her head – and probably other places that weren't visible at the moment – casts on her right arm and both legs, and all kinds of machines hooked up. Even a ventilator. "That's right," Lord taunted. "I had your DEO pal committed, so even if Kara does find a way to see her, she'll probably be too doped up to make any sense. As for the former detective, word is that she's in a coma, and the doctors don't know when – or even if – she'll ever wake up. Her friend Ms. Kane is having her transferred to Gotham General as soon as she's stable enough to be moved."

"No," Alex breathed, unable to take her eyes off of Maggie as regret came crashing down on her. She knew from the start that Maggie was the one…that she wanted to be with her for the rest of the ex-detective's natural life. But the right time to say those three little words never seemed to come. And now, the woman she loved was in a possibly-irreversible coma, and all Alex could think about was the fact that she'd failed to tell her girlfriend how she truly felt and might never get the chance to make it right.

Lord laughed again. "What's the matter, Danvers? Forget to do something you should have? Like…I don't know…tell your sister the truth? No one but yourself to blame, there. Or does this have to do with your latest fling? Tell me…what does she have that I don't? Besides the obvious. I mean, is this some sort of late-blooming experimental phase before you find a real man? Or is she just that—" Boiling with rage, Alex sprang to her feet and slammed her shoulder into the glass, startling the arrogant billionaire.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about her like that, you fucking psycho! If you or your goons lay one fucking hand on her…."

"You'll what? Yell at me? But don't worry…I won't touch her. Now that your sister has left National City – and, as my ARA spokesman Mr. Olsen has already made clear, cannot return without facing arrest – I have no reason to take any further action against her or your friends. Not unless they come after me publicly."

"So you got what you wanted," Alex snarled. "How long have you been planning all this?"

Smug smirk firmly in place, Lord pressed the button once more and shut down the displays. "If you must know, I've been planning this since the day we met. Granted, this would've been much easier if you'd died publicly the first time, but I'm nothing if not adaptable. And the only reason I didn't take matters into my own hands was because I couldn't risk having your death linked to me." Her jaw dropped, and the smirk grew wider. "Don't look so surprised, Danvers. I know a potential immortal when I meet one. You're just the first who's actually been worth my attention. Who do you think tipped Hamilton off?"

"She was working with you the whole time?"

"Not knowingly. Hamilton was the first test subject for my technosite project. The prototype I put in her was one that could be activated for short bursts – just long enough for her to report in – and then wipe her memories of the encounter, minus any information I needed fed to her superiors. Not as comprehensive as the current model, but it did the job. Of course, once you caught on to the technosites I had to activate the kill switch. But my scientists made sure her death wasn't in vain. Just as they'll do with yours."

"Bastard!" she spat.

"Rail at me all you want. You have no power here. And this conversation is finished." He moved to the outer door and opened it, letting in a squad of his goons, all of whom were dressed like guards and carrying automatic rifles. "Subject 10-15 has an appointment with the good doctor. Let's make sure she's on time." As he spoke, the door to the cell swung open and the goons swarmed in. Two of them grabbed Alex by the arms. She attempted to fight them off despite the restraints, only to have someone jam a cattle prod into her side and hit her with enough electricity to drop her sister.

Alex must have lost consciousness, because the next thing she was aware of was being dragged by the arms with a black bag over her head. The electricity had left her too weak to resist. By the time her strength returned, her captors had stopped moving forward. They lifted her up and put her on some sort of table. Two sets of hands held her shoulders down while someone else locked some sort of cuffs around each knee and ankle before removing the shackles. The chain was removed from her waist, replaced almost instantly with what felt like a leather strap. Finally, the handcuffs were unlocked and Alex immediately lashed out, feeling a nose break under her fist. The pained screams accompanying it gave her an almost perverse sense of pleasure. Unfortunately, it was short-lived as the cattle prod was jammed into her side once more. It wasn't as intense this time, but it was still enough for them to grab her arms and stretch them out to the sides, strapping them down by the palm, wrist, and elbow to some sort of crossbeam near the table's head. Sort of like a mad scientist's version of an operating table. Two more straps were pulled around her shoulders, further immobilizing her upper body. Someone finally pulled the bag away, and Alex found herself looking up at the blonde 'doctor' from the Metallo incident. "I knew you'd help us some day," the 'doctor' grinned before turning to the goons. "Finish preparing Subject 10-15 for testing."

"Don't fucking touch me!" Alex snarled, only to have a wad of gauze shoved into her mouth.

"Subject 10-15 is not to speak without permission." The young immortal tried to respond, futile as it was with the crude gag, and the so-called 'doctor' smacked her across the face. "Stay silent, or there will be consequences." Alex glared, but otherwise complied because she didn't want to test her captors' patience while unable to fight back. The 'doctor' stepped away from the table and the goons swarmed in once more. One cut her shirt and bra off, while another took clippers to her hair. Alex fought back tears at the indignities, not wanting these people to see that they were getting to her. Once her hair was gone, the goons placed EEG sensors on her scalp. Additional monitoring equipment was attached to various other parts of her body, and one of the goons stuck an IV needle into her left arm with a saline drip – no doubt to keep her hydrated during whatever torment the 'doctor' had planned, as if that small 'kindness' made the situation any better. Finally, they replaced the gauze with a hard rubber bar that was attached to some sort of harness. One strap went under her chin, the other across her forehead, and the whole thing was hooked to the table, leaving her completely unable to move. She felt another immortal approach, and Lord stepped into her line of sight.

"We're going to do great things together, Danvers," he grinned. "I can't wait to get started." He turned to the blonde. "I trust you can take things from here, Dr. Luthor."

"Of course, Mr. Lord," the woman nodded, before turning her attention back to the young immortal. Luthor – who Alex knew had to be Lena's bitch of a mother – turned on some kind of recorder as she pulled a bright light into place and shifted position so she was standing practically in the young immortal's armpit. "Subject 10-15 appears to be a healthy human female, approximately 27 years of age biologically and chronologically. Our sources indicate that her immortal gene was only recently activated, likely within the last few months. There have been no reports of her receiving any Quickenings." Alex watched in undisguised horror as the woman pressed the scalpel into her chest. "Test #1: Subject 10-15's regenerative capabilities. Thoracic cavity." Luthor started slicing along her sternum and, despite her best efforts not to give the woman the satisfaction, Alex wound up screaming into the gag until her throat was raw. By the time Dr. Luthor actually started cracking open her chest, the young immortal had nothing left. It wasn't long before the pain drove her to unconsciousness, and the last thing she heard before succumbing was Lord's voice.

"Welcome to Cadmus."

END PART 1

 **Well, there you have it. Will Alex survive her captivity? What's going to happen to her family and friends? Find out in Part 2, which will be split between Alex and Kara's POVs. It's currently a work in progress, and I will begin posting as soon as I finish. I don't have a specific date in mind, but I promise not to keep you waiting for too long. So follow my profile (if you haven't already) and/or keep an eye on the crossover section for the second half of this tale!**


End file.
